Abdelmalek Ziaya

Abdelmalek Ziaya
Born	(1984-01-23) January 23, 1984 Guelma, Algeria
Occupation	Football player (retired)
Years active	2000s–2010s
Known for	Forward for ES Sétif, Ittihad Jeddah, CA Bizertin, USM Alger; Algeria national team player

Abdelmalek Ziaya (born 23 January 1984) is a retired Algerian football player.

ES Sétif

Hailing from Guelma, Ziaya played a pivotal role at ES Sétif, helping the team secure the 2006–07 Arab Champions League title by netting goals against Al-Ittihad and Al-Nasr. He also found the back of the net during the 2007–08 Arab Champions League round of 16 encounter with Al-Wehda.

On 26 December 2009, it was announced that Ziaya would join FC Sochaux on loan from ES Sétif, with an option for a permanent transfer. Nonetheless, just four days later, the president of ES Sétif rejected this loan arrangement and instead initiated talks with Saudi club Ittihad Jeddah.

Ittihad Jeddah

Ziaya inked a two-year deal with Saudi Arabian side Ittihad Jeddah on 6 January 2010, with a transfer fee reported at €2 million. In his first friendly match, he scored twice, contributing to a 4–1 victory over Al-Ettifaq. His official debut came on 23 February 2010 in an AFC Champions League fixture against FC Bunyodkor in Uzbekistan, although the team suffered a 3–0 defeat. He recorded his first official goal on 8 March 2010 during the AFC Champions League clash with Zob Ahan, helping secure a 2–2 draw. In his league introduction on 14 March versus Al-Ahli, he provided the assist for Manaf Abushgeer’s decisive goal. Despite capturing only one title over two seasons, Ziaya is considered among Ittihad’s prominent recent forwards and has shown interest in returning to play in Saudi Arabia.

Club Athlétique Bizertin

On 29 July 2012, Ziaya agreed to a two-year contract with Tunisian outfit CA Bizertin. He made an immediate impact by scoring in his league debut on 1 August 2012 against ES Zarzis.

International career

Following an impressive run at ES Setif in 2009—where he scored 15 goals in 13 matches during the 2009 CAF Confederation Cup and added eight goals in the first half of the domestic season—Ziaya was selected by coach Rabah Saadane for the 2010 African Cup of Nations held in Angola. He earned his first cap for the Algerian National Team on 12 January 2010 as a substitute in a group stage game against Malawi.

Career statistics

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Saudi Arabia			League		Crown Prince Cup		League Cup		Asia		Total
2009–10	Ittihad Jeddah	Saudi Premier League	2	1	0	0	5	2	5	3	12	6
2010–11			23	9	2	0	4	2	7	4	36	15
2011–12			4	2	0	0	0	0	2	0	6	2
Total	Country		29	12	2	0	9	4	14	7	54	23

Club

ES Sétif

• CAF Champions League: 2014
• CAF Super Cup: 2015
• Algerian Ligue 1 titles in 2006–07, 2008–09, and 2014–15
• Algerian Super Cup winner in 2015
• Arab Champions League victories during the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons
• Champion of the North African Cup of Champions in 2009
• Runner-up in the CAF Confederation Cup in 2009

Ittihad FC

• Winner of the Saudi Champions Cup in 2010

USM Alger

• Algerian Ligue 1 champion for the 2013–14 season
• Holder of the Algerian Cup in 2013–14
• Secured the Algerian Super Cup title in 2013

Individual

• Leading scorer of the 2009 CAF Confederation Cup, netting 15 goals over 13 matches

External links

• Player profile