Mohammed Abdellaoue

Mohammed Abdellaoue
Born	Mohammed Abdellaoue (1985-10-23) October 23, 1985 Oslo, Norway
Other names	Moa
Occupation	Professional footballer (retired)
Years active	2003–2017
Known for	Striker for Skeid, Vålerenga, Hannover 96, VfB Stuttgart; Norwegian national team player

Mohammed "Moa" Abdellaoue (; born 23 October 1985) is a retired Norwegian professional football player who operated as a striker. His career commenced at Skeid and Vålerenga before he transferred to Germany, where he represented Hannover 96 and VfB Stuttgart. After a subsequent return to Vålerenga, he concluded his playing days due to knee injuries. On the international stage, Abdellaoue was capped by the Norwegian national team.

Early career

Originating from Oslo, Abdellaoue developed his skills at youth sides Hasle-Løren and later Skeid. Prior to breaking into Skeid's senior squad in 2003, he underwent surgery to correct a congenital condition involving only four toes on his left foot, which had not hindered his earlier performances. His first senior appearance came on 9 June 2003 as a substitute against Hødd. By his fourth match, he netted twice securing a 2–1 victory over Raufoss. Over five seasons with Skeid, Abdellaoue amassed 42 league goals and emerged as the club's leading scorer in both 2004 and 2007. Additionally, he represented Norway at under-18, under-19, and under-21 levels.

Vålerenga

Following the conclusion of the 2007 campaign, Abdellaoue committed to a three-year deal with Vålerenga, officially joining on 15 November. In his debut season, he topped the club’s scoring charts in league play with nine goals across 23 matches. Notably, he converted three penalties in one game, a performance that earned him his first call-up to the Norwegian national team for a fixture against the Republic of Ireland. During the 2008 Norwegian Cup, Abdellaoue contributed six goals, including a brace in the final where Vålerenga triumphed 4–1 over Stabæk to secure the trophy.

Hannover 96

On 17 August 2010, it was confirmed that Abdellaoue had joined Bundesliga side Hannover 96 on a four-year contract from Vålerenga, with the transfer fee reported between €1.2 and 1.4 million. He made his debut on 21 August in a home victory of 2–1 against Eintracht Frankfurt, and scored his inaugural Bundesliga goal seven days later in an away win over Schalke 04. He continued his scoring form with goals against Bayer Leverkusen, Werder Bremen—where he recorded his first hat-trick for Hannover—and 1. FC Kaiserslautern, playing a pivotal role in early-season successes.

Abdellaoue concluded his initial season at Hannover with ten goals. In the following Bundesliga campaign, he found the net seven times within seven matches, drawing attention from top clubs such as Bayern Munich. During the opening round of the 2011–12 Bundesliga, he scored against 1899 Hoffenheim and achieved his first hat-trick for Hannover in a 3–2 win over Werder Bremen on 2 October.

Although injuries affected his availability during the 2012–13 Bundesliga season, he still managed eight league goals. Throughout his tenure at Hannover, Abdellaoue appeared in 80 Bundesliga matches and scored 29 goals.

VfB Stuttgart

On 11 June 2013, Abdellaoue committed to a four-year deal with VfB Stuttgart, with the transfer fee estimated to be approximately €4 million. His first appearance came during the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League qualifying round against Botev Plovdiv on 1 August 2013, where he was brought on as a substitute in the 88th minute. Abdellaoue netted his inaugural goal for Stuttgart in a 1–2 defeat to Mainz 05 on 25 January 2014, which was also his first starting appearance and ended a Bundesliga scoring drought that had lasted 274 days. Subsequently, he featured for the reserve squad, helping secure a 2–0 victory over 1. FSV Mainz 05 II.

Vålerenga

Abdellaoue made a return to his previous club, Vålerenga, on 7 August 2015. He concluded his professional playing career in December 2017 due to persistent injury problems.

International career

Abdellaoue earned his first cap for the Norway national team on 20 August 2008 during a friendly match against Ireland. His initial international goal was scored in his seventh outing, during a UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying encounter with Iceland. On 29 February 2012, he captained Norway in a friendly against Northern Ireland, stepping in for the usual captain Brede Hangeland. In March 2013, Abdellaoue was awarded the Gold Watch after reaching his 25th international appearance against Albania.

Club

Source:

Club	Season	League			Cup		Europe		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Skeid	2003	1. divisjon	6	5	2	0	—		8	5
	2004		22	11	2	3	—		24	14
	2005		20	5	0	0	—		20	5
	2006	2. divisjon	18	10	1	1	—		19	11
	2007	1. Divisjon	20	9	3	2	—		23	11
	Total		86	40	8	6	0	0	94	46
Vålerenga	2008	Tippeligaen	23	9	6	7	—		29	16
	2009		24	6	3	3	2	0	29	9
	2010		20	15	1	1	—		21	16
	Total		67	30	10	11	2	0	79	41
Hannover 96	2010–11	Bundesliga	26	10	0	0	—		26	10
	2011–12		28	11	2	2	12	3	42	16
	2012–13		26	8	1	0	8	1	35	9
	Total		80	29	3	2	20	4	103	35
VfB Stuttgart	2013–14	Bundesliga	12	1	2	0	4	0	18	1
	2014–15		0	0	0	0	—		0	0

|-

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Appearances	Goals
Norway	2008	2	0
	2009	2	0
	2010	6	2
	2011	8	3
	2012	6	1
	2013	7	1
	2014	1	0
	2015	1	0
Overall		33	7

The score column reflects Norway's goal count first, showing the scoreline immediately following each goal by Abdellaoue.

Comprehensive list of international goals by Mohammed Abdellaoue

No.	Date	Location	Opponent	Score after goal	Final result	Match type	Reference
1	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland	Template:Fb	2–1	2–1	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
2	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	Maksimir Stadium, Zagreb, Croatia	Template:Fb	1–0	1–2	Friendly
3	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	Template:Fb	1–0	3–0	Friendly
4
5	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo, Norway	Template:Fb	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2012 qualifying
6	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	Ferenc Puskás Stadium, Budapest, Hungary	Template:Fb	2–0	2–0	Friendly
7	REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting	Friends Arena, Stockholm, Sweden	Template:Fb	1–2	2–4	Friendly

Honours

Vålerenga

• Norwegian Football Cup champion: 2008

Individual Awards

• Recipient of the Kniksen Award for Kniksen of the Year: 2011

Personal life

In 2020, he took on the role of a miljølærer at a school located in Oslo's Grorud Valley. Originating from the Sinsen district, his younger sibling, striker Mustafa Abdellaoue (known as "Mos"), also pursues a professional football career.