Yassine Benzia (; born 8 September 1994) is a professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

who most recently played for

Azerbaijan Premier League The Azerbaijan Premier League (), also known as Misli Premyer Liqası for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Azerbaijan and the highest level of the Azerbaijani football league system. It is contested by twelve ...

club Qarabağ. He currently represents the Algeria national team. He mainly plays as an attacking or a

central midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

but can also play as a winger or striker. He began his professional career at

Olympique Lyonnais Olympique Lyonnais (), commonly referred to as simply Lyon () or OL, is a French professional association football, football club based in Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. With origins dating back to 1899, they were founded in 1950 and p ...

, where he played 53 total games and scored 6 goals, winning the

2012 Trophée des Champions 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

. In August 2015, he was signed by

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

. Benzia was a France youth international, having played for the representative teams of the

French Football Federation The French Football Federation ( FFF and 3F; or Triple F; , ) is the governing body of football in France. It was formed in 1919 and is based in the capital, Paris. The FFF is a founding member of FIFA and is responsible for overseeing all aspec ...

at under-16, under-17, under-18 and under-21 level. He played with the under-17 team at the

2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup The 2011 FIFA U-17 World Cup was the 14th edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth association football, football championship contested by the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It was h ...

. In March 2016, FIFA approved his request to change his international allegiance to

Algerian Football Federation The Algerian Football Federation (AFF); () is the governing body of Association football, football in Algeria. Formed in 1962 and was based in the capital Algiers. It has jurisdiction on the Algerian football league system and is in charge of th ...

Club career

Lyon

Following the

Benzia signed his first professional contract with

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

, agreeing to a three-year deal on 27 October 2011. He was subsequently promoted to the senior team by

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

Rémi Garde Rémi Marie François Garde (, born 3 April 1966) is a French former professional footballer. He was most recently the head coach of Montreal Impact in Major League Soccer. He played as a defender and defensive midfielder, spending most of hi ...

and assigned the number 25 shirt. Benzia made his professional debut on 20 May 2012 in the last game of the league season at home to

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Jimmy Briand Jimmy Julien Briand (born 2 August 1985) is a French former professional footballer. He started his career as a striker, but was later used as a winger, playing in Ligue 1 for Rennes, Lyon, Guingamp and Bordeaux, as well as in the Bundesliga wi ...

for the final minutes of the 4–3 loss. Benzia came on as a 66th-minute substitute for

Bafétimbi Gomis Bafétimbi Gomis (born 6 August 1985) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker. Gomis played youth football with AS Saint-Étienne, Saint-Étienne before making his ...

in the

against

Montpellier Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...

at New Jersey's Red Bull Arena on 28 July, and scored in Lyon's

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

victory after a 2–2 draw. On 22 November, he scored his first professional goal to open a 1–1 draw at

Sparta Prague Athletic Club Sparta Praha (), commonly known as Sparta Prague and Sparta Praha, is a professional football club based in Prague. It is the most successful club in the Czech Republic and one of the most successful in central Europe, winning t ...

in the group stage of the

UEFA Europa League The UEFA Europa League (UEL), usually known simply as the Europa League, is an annual association football, football club competition organised since 1971 by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European footb ...

. He scored again in the competition's next game, a 2–0 win at the

Stade de Gerland The Stade de Gerland (known for sponsorship reasons as Matmut Stadium de Gerland and otherwise known as Municipal de Gerland or Stade Gerland ) is a stadium in the city of Lyon, France, which serves as home to Top 14 rugby club Lyon OU. It has a ...

against Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona, but did not find the net again for the rest of the season. On 16 August 2013, Benzia scored his first Ligue 1 goal, opening a 3–1 win at

Sochaux Sochaux () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Geography Sochaux lies east of Montbéliard, and southeast of Paris. Population Inhabitants are known as ''Sochaliens''. Economy ...

on the first day of the season and also assisting

Alexandre Lacazette Alexandre Armand Lacazette (; born 28 May 1991) is a French professional association football, footballer who plays as a forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains club Olympique Lyonnais, Lyon. He p ...

and

Yoann Gourcuff Yoann Miguel Gourcuff (born 11 July 1986) is a French former professional Association football, footballer who played mainly as an attacking midfielder. He could also be utilized as a Second striker, withdrawn striker; he was described as a "pla ...

for the other two goals. He added his only other goal of the season on 8 December in a win by the same score at

Bastia Bastia ( , , , ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest popu ...

Lille

On 31 August 2015, Benzia signed a four-year deal at fellow Ligue 1 club

for a fee of around €1 million. On 28 January 2017, after over a year without a goal, Benzia scored both of Lille's goals in a 2–1 win on his return to Lyon.

Fenerbahçe (loan)

On 31 August 2018, the last day of the 2018 summer transfer window, Benzia joined

Süper Lig The Süper Lig (, ''Super League''), also known as Trendyol Süper Lig for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Turkey and the highest level of the Turkish football league system. In the 2023–2024 season, twen ...

side Fenerbahçe on loan for the season. Fenerbahçe also secured an option to sign him permanently.

Olympiakos (loan)

On 31 August 2019, the last day of the 2019 summer transfer window, Benzia joined

Superleague Greece The Super League Greece 1 (), or Stoiximan Super League for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Greece and the highest level of the Greek football league system. The league was formed on 16 July 2006 and repl ...

side Olympiakos on loan for the season.

Dijon

On 30 January 2020, Benzia returned to France to join

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

by signing a three-and-a-half-year contract. In May 2020, he sustained a serious injury to his left hand due to a buggy accident, which made him unavailable until 2021. On 18 April 2021, he scored his first goal from a penalty in a 2–0 win over Nice.

Hatayspor (loan)

On 8 February 2022, the last day of the Turkish winter transfer window, Benzia was loaned out to

Hatayspor Hatayspor Kulübü, known as Atakaş Hatayspor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish professional football club located in Antakya, Hatay Province. Hatayspor, founded in 1967 through a merger of three local clubs, aimed to promote sports and po ...

Qarabağ

On 26 January 2023, Benzia signed for Qarabağ on a contract until 30 June 2025. On 11 July 2023, he scored his first goal in the stoppage time of a 2–1 away victory against Lincoln Red Imps within the first qualifying round of the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the UEFA, Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by List of top-division football clubs in UEFA countries, top-divisio ...

. On 11 June 2025, Qarabağ announced that Benzia had left the club at the end of his contract.

International career

France

Benzia represented France at youth level. He played for France U17 during the

, where he scored five goals in the tournament. He also scored two goals for France U19, as they reached the final of the

2013 UEFA European Under-19 Championship The 2013 UEFA European Under-19 Championship was the 12th edition of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship, since its reclassification from an under-18 tournament in 2002, and the 62nd since the tournament was created in 1948. It was hosted in Li ...

Algeria

In January 2016,

president

Mohamed Raouraoua Mohamed Raouraoua (; born 12 September 1947 in Casbah, Algiers, French Algeria) is the former president of the Algerian Football Federation, and the vice-president of the Union of Arab Football Associations. Biography He was first elected as presi ...

announced that Benzia had opted to switch his international allegiance to

Algeria Algeria, officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered to Algeria–Tunisia border, the northeast by Tunisia; to Algeria–Libya border, the east by Libya; to Alger ...

. In March 2016, FIFA approved his request to change his international allegiance. On 26 March 2016, he played his first game for Algeria, against

Ethiopia Ethiopia, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country located in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the north, Djibouti to the northeast, Somalia to the east, Ken ...

in the

2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification The 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification matches were organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to decide the participating teams of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, the 31st edition of the international men's football champions ...

. He scored his first senior international goal on 2 June 2016 against

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (; Seychellois Creole: ), is an island country and archipelagic state consisting of 155 islands (as per the Constitution) in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, Victoria, ...

. He later on the 18th of November in 2024 was the runner up in the

FIFA Puskás Award The FIFA Puskás Award is an award established on 20 October 2009 by the ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' (FIFA), at the behest of then-president Sepp Blatter, to be awarded to the player judged to have scored the most ae ...

, for his goal against South Africa on 26 March 2024, scoring the equalizer in the 70th minute to make it 3-3.

Style of play

At the age of 17, Benzia was dubbed the new

Karim Benzema Karim Mostafa Benzema (born 19 December 1987) is a French professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Striker (association football), striker for and Captain (association football), captains Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad Clu ...

Personal life

Benzia's siblings, Farid and Mustapha, are also footballers. On August 9, 2012, he participated in a photo shoot with Adidas Scouting Camp for the 2012 promotion. In May 2020, Yassine Benzia suffered a serious hand injury following a buggy accident in the woods. The injury was severe enough to require surgery and raised concerns about the long-term functionality of his hand. Despite the gravity of the accident, Benzia was able to resume training with

Dijon FCO Dijon Football Côte d'Or (; ), commonly referred to as Dijon FCO or simply as Dijon, is a French Football in France, football club based in Dijon. The club was founded in 1998 as a result of a merger between two local clubs in the city, and co ...

six months later, although his injured hand was still heavily bandaged. This injury could have ended his career, but fortunately, he managed to continue his professional football career.

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Algeria score listed first, score column indicates score after each Benzia goal''

Honours

Lyon *

Trophée des Champions The Trophée des Champions (, ) is a French association football trophy contested in an annual match between the champions of Ligue 1 and the winners of the Coupe de France. It is equivalent to the Super cup, super cups found in many other count ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

Qarabağ *

2022–23 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

France U19 *

UEFA European Under-19 Championship The UEFA European Under-19 Championship, or simply the Euro Under-19, is an annual football competition, contested by the European men's under-19 national teams of the UEFA member associations. Spain is the most successful team in this competit ...

runner-up:

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

Individual *

: Team of the Tournament

References

External links

Yassine Benzia's personal web site
* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Benzia, Yassine 1994 births Living people People from Saint-Aubin-lès-Elbeuf Men's association football forwards Algerian men's footballers Algeria men's international footballers Olympique Lyonnais players Lille OSC players Fenerbahçe S.K. footballers Olympiacos F.C. players Dijon FCO players Hatayspor footballers Qarabağ FK players Ligue 1 players Süper Lig players Super League Greece players Azerbaijan Premier League players France men's youth international footballers France men's under-21 international footballers Algerian expatriate men's footballers Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Expatriate men's footballers in Greece Expatriate men's footballers in Azerbaijan Algerian expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Footballers from Seine-Maritime 21st-century French sportsmen