Antar Yahia
Antar Yahia | |
|---|---|
| Born | Antar Yahia March 21, 1982 Mulhouse, France |
| Occupation(s) | Professional footballer (retired), sporting director |
| Years active | 2001–2016 (player) |
| Known for | Algerian international footballer, captain at 2010 FIFA World Cup |
| Notable work | Scored goal securing Algeria's qualification for 2010 FIFA World Cup; Arab Player of the Year 2009 |
Anther Yahia (; born 21 March 1982) is a retired professional footballer of Algerian descent, born in France, who operated primarily as a centre-back.
Initially representing France at youth levels, Yahia earned appearances with the under-16 and under-18 national teams. After the 2004 FIFA eligibility regulations were amended, he opted to represent Algeria, netting a goal on his debut for the Algeria U23 squad during an Olympic qualifying match. He was soon called up to Algeria's senior team in preparation for the 2004 African Nations Cup.
Over his international career, Yahia accumulated 53 caps and scored six goals for Algeria before retiring in May 2012. He is notably remembered for scoring the crucial goal that secured Algeria’s qualification for their first FIFA World Cup since 1986 by defeating rivals Egypt in a playoff. Yahia captained the national team at the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa and also competed in the Africa Cup of Nations tournaments in 2004 and 2010, with Algeria achieving a fourth-place finish in the latter.
Early life
Born in Mulhouse, France, Yahia is the son of Fatima Zohra and Boussaha Yahia, a welder by profession, both hailing from the Algerian Chaoui community. His parents originally emigrated from Sedrata, located in Algeria’s Aurès region, to Alsace. They briefly returned to Algeria in 1985 before settling back in France. Yahia is married to Karima Ziani, who is the twin sister of French-Algerian footballer Karim Ziani.
He started playing football at age ten with Racing Club de Belfort’s youth setup before joining the FC Sochaux-Montbéliard academy at thirteen.[1]
A practicing Muslim, Yahia observes fasting during Ramadan. He is multilingual, fluent in Arabic, French, German, Italian, English, and Spanish.[2]
Club career
Yahia began his football journey with Racing Club de Belfort’s youth team prior to joining Sochaux’s academy at age fourteen. In 2000, when he was eighteen, he pursued a professional contract but was declined by Sochaux’s management.[3] Subsequently, he joined Internazionale’s youth system.
Bastia
Yahia commenced his professional career on loan from Internazionale in 2001 at Corsican club SC Bastia. He made his first-team debut on 16 January 2002 against Lyon, entering as a substitute for Cédric Uras in the 43rd minute. After four successful seasons with Bastia, he transferred to OGC Nice.[4]
Nice
Following Bastia’s relegation, Yahia signed a four-year deal with OGC Nice during the summer of 2005. He featured regularly during his initial season but eventually lost his starting position and opted to seek opportunities elsewhere.
VfL Bochum
In 2007, both English side Leeds United and German club VfL Bochum expressed interest in acquiring Yahia. After training sessions with both teams, he decided to join Bochum competing in the Bundesliga. On 30 January 2007, he made his debut against Bayern Munich. Quickly establishing himself as a key central defender, Bochum secured his permanent transfer for €800,000 with a contract extending through 2011. In recognition of his performances, Yahia was named Algerian Player of the Year in 2009.
In January 2010, he received the Arab Player of the Year award for 2009 during a ceremony held in Luanda, Angola. This accolade was based on a poll conducted by Arab broadcaster MBC, where he garnered 48% of one million votes.
After VfL Bochum's relegation at the conclusion of the 2009–10 season, Yahia declared his intention to depart during the summer transfer window, expressing reluctance to continue playing outside top-tier competition. While acknowledging interest from French clubs, he planned to finalize his decision following the World Cup.
On 13 October 2010, Yahia extended his contract with VfL Bochum until June 30, 2014.
Al Nassr
On 17 July 2011, Yahia committed to joining the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr, even though he still had three years remaining on his contract with Bochum. The move was completed on 1 August 2011 with a contract spanning two years. Nevertheless, on 21 January 2012, both Yahia and Al Nassr agreed to terminate the agreement by mutual consent.
1. FC Kaiserslautern
Yahia made his return to German football on 25 January 2012 by signing a two-and-a-half-year contract with the Bundesliga team 1. FC Kaiserslautern.
Esperánce
On 14 January 2013, Yahia entered into a one-and-a-half-year contract with the Tunisian club Espérance Sportive de Tunis. He made his debut as a starter one month later and was immediately appointed as the team captain.
Platanias
Yahia signed a short-term deal for four months with Greek club Platanias F.C. on 28 January 2014.
Angers
Half a year afterward, Yahia returned to France, committing to a two-year contract with Ligue 2 outfit Angers SCO on 11 June 2014.
Youth with France
Yahia’s international youth career began in 1998 when he represented France in the UEFA European Under-16 Championship qualifiers. His only appearance for the France U-16 team was on 7 October 1998 against Switzerland, resulting in a 3–3 draw; however, the team did not advance to the final tournament.
In 2000, Yahia was part of the France U-18 squad during qualifiers for the 2001 European Championship. Alongside teammate Nadir Belhadj, he contributed to a 4–2 victory over Germany. Despite this, a subsequent 2–1 defeat by the Netherlands prevented France from qualifying, leaving them at the bottom of their group.
Senior with Algeria
Yahia became the inaugural player to benefit from FIFA's updated eligibility regulations when he debuted for Algeria’s U-23 side in an Olympic qualifying match against Ghana, scoring the match-winning goal. This performance led coach Rabah Saâdane to promote him to Algeria’s senior national team ahead of the 2004 African Cup of Nations.
He earned his first senior cap on 15 January 2004 versus Mali and played in every group stage match of that tournament, aiding Algeria’s progression to the quarterfinals before they were eliminated by Morocco.
In November 2009, during a World Cup qualifying match in Cairo, the Algerian team bus was attacked while en route to their hotel, resulting in injuries to several players. Yahia publicly criticized the security lapses and voiced concerns about player safety. The game went ahead and ended in a 2–0 victory for Egypt, necessitating a playoff match held in Sudan.
On 18 November 2009, Yahia scored the crucial goal in that playoff against Egypt, securing Algeria’s spot at the 2010 FIFA World Cup despite having to leave the field injured.
Selected for Algeria’s squad at the 2010 African Cup of Nations, Yahia was unable to participate due to injury. During Algeria’s World Cup encounter with the United States, he received a second yellow card and was sent off.
Yahia announced his retirement from international football on 1 May 2012.
Administrative career
Following his retirement as a player on 27 December 2016, Yahia transitioned into a sporting director role at Orléans. He parted ways with the club by mutual agreement on 22 November 2019.
On 1 May 2020, Yahia took up the position of sporting director at USM Alger. Although there were considerations for his dismissal linked to unsatisfactory team results, he remained in his role until being officially relieved of duties on 6 August 2021.
On 17 January 2022, Yahia assumed the role of technical director at the F.F. Cherenkov Academy associated with FC Spartak Moscow. He resigned from this position in June 2022 due to family-related reasons.
Club
| Club | Season | League | Domestic Cup | League Cup | Continental Competitions | Other Matches | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Appearances | Goals | Appearances | Goals | Appearances | Goals | Appearances | Goals | Appearances | Goals | Appearances | Goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bastia (loan) | 2001–02 | Ligue 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bastia | 2002–03 | Ligue 1 | 23 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | — | — | 24 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–04 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 20 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–05 | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 72 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 77 | 2 | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nice | 2005–06 | Ligue 1 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 25 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–07 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 30 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 1 | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VfL Bochum (loan) | 2006–07 | Bundesliga | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 16 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VfL Bochum | 2007–08 | Bundesliga | 33 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 35 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–09 | 24 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 26 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009–10 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | 20 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–11 | 2. Bundesliga | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | (no league cup) | (no league cup) | (no continental) | (no continental) | 2 | 0 | 30 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 103 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 111 | 6 | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VfL Bochum II | 2008-09 | Regionalliga West | 1 | 0 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009-10 | 1 | 0 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | – | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Al Nassr | 2011-12 | Saudi Professional League | 13 | 1 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 2011-12 | Bundesliga | 11 | 0 | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012-13 | 2. Bundesliga | ...
International
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "1" | "19 June 2005" | Stade Ahmed Zabana, Oran, Algeria | Template:Fb | "1–0" | "2–2" | CAF qualification for the 2006 FIFA World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "2" | "5 June 2007" | Camp Nou, Barcelona, Spain | Template:Fb | "1–1" | "3–4" | Friendly match | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "3" | "20 June 2008" | Stade Mustapha Tchaker, Blida, Algeria | Template:Fb | "1–0" | "1–0" | CAF qualification for the 2010 FIFA World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "4" | "5 September 2008" | Stade Mustapha Tchaker, Blida, Algeria | Template:Fb | "3–1" | "3–2" | Qualification for the FIFA World Cup in 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "5" | "18 November 2009" | Al Merreikh Stadium, Omdurman, Sudan | Template:Fb | "1–0" | "1–0" | Qualification matches for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "6" | "29 February 2012" | Independence Stadium, Bakau, Gambau | Template:Fb | "1–1" | "2–1" | Qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Algeria
- Achieved fourth place at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations
Individual Achievements
- Awarded Arab Player of the Year in the year 2009
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