Jump to content

Youcef Belaïli

From Alfawiki
Mohamed Youcef Belaïli
Born (1992-03-14) March 14, 1992 (age 34)
Oran, Algeria
OccupationProfessional footballer
Known forLeft winger for Espérance de Tunis and the Algeria national team

Mohamed Youcef Belaïli (; born 14 March 1992) is a professional Algerian footballer who operates primarily as a left winger for the Tunisian outfit Espérance de Tunis and represents the Algeria national team.

Early life

Born in Oran on 14 March 1992, Belaïli initiated his football journey with RCG Oran before progressing to MC Oran.

Initial stages

Belaïli’s football development began at RCG Oran, subsequently advancing to the reserve squad of MC Oran. His debut season in the top tier, the Division 1, was spent with CA Bordj Bou Arréridj, making his first appearance on 6 March 2010 as a substitute against MC El Eulma. After completing that season, he returned to MC Oran for two campaigns, where he made a significant impact by netting his inaugural goal versus USM Alger on 27 November 2010. By his second year, Belaïli had become an influential figure, drawing attention from both local and international clubs.

Espérance de Tunis

On 24 May 2012, Belaïli initiated negotiations to join Tunisian side Espérance de Tunis. He finalized personal terms two days later and officially signed a three-year contract valued at €2 million on 5 June. His debut came on 20 July during a group stage encounter of the 2012 CAF Champions League against ASO Chlef, where he earned a penalty and assisted in securing victory. Despite arriving late in the 2011–12 season and featuring in only three matches, Belaïli secured his first major championship with the club by winning the Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 title.

Return to Algeria and suspension

On 14 June 2014, Belaïli inked a two-year deal with USM Alger, commanding a monthly wage of five million dinars—the highest salary in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1. He quickly became an essential player, notably scoring a crucial late goal against JS Kabylie in a match marred by the tragic death of player Albert Ebossé Bodjongo, who was fatally struck by an object thrown from the stands after the game. On 7 August 2015, during a 2015 CAF Champions League fixture against MC El Eulma, Belaïli tested positive for cocaine in an anti-doping test. Consequently, the Confederation of African Football handed him a four-year ban and terminated his contract with USM Alger.

However, on 4 November 2016, the Court of Arbitration for Sport based in Lausanne reduced his suspension to two years after determining that he had unknowingly consumed hookah two days prior to the match and found no evidence of intent or negligence.

A year later, Belaïli signed with French club Angers competing in Ligue 1, but his stint was limited to just one appearance in the Coupe de la Ligue, resulting in an unsuccessful tenure.

A second chance abroad

Belaïli made a return to Espérance de Tunis on 26 January 2018, where he enjoyed considerable success by securing five titles, including back-to-back victories in the CAF Champions League. This era also saw his reintroduction to the Algeria national football team, culminating in triumph at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Subsequently, he agreed to a three-year contract with Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli, valued at over three million dollars. Despite this promising move, he encountered difficulties adapting and later transferred to neighboring club Qatar SC, where he revitalized his performance by scoring thirteen goals, highlighted by his first career hat-trick against Al-Ahli Doha.

Following the conclusion of the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, Belaïli and Qatar SC mutually agreed to part ways. On 1 February 2022, French Ligue 1 side Brest secured his services on a six-month contract with an option extending for three additional years. Nevertheless, on 29 September 2022, both parties agreed to terminate their contract. Shortly thereafter, on 12 October 2022, Belaïli signed with fellow Ligue 1 club AC Ajaccio for the remainder of the season.

Return to Algeria

Following extensive discussions, Youcef Belaïli committed to a two-year deal with MC Alger on 9 August 2023, after parting ways with Ajaccio in April. Although his father initially sought European prospects for him, Belaïli eventually opted to come back to Algeria after spending eight years overseas. Reports indicate that he obtained the highest monthly wage ever recorded in Algerian Ligue 1, approximately DA 1.5 billion, along with an advance payment covering eight months.

Espérance de Tunis

In July 2024, Belaïli signed a contract with Espérance de Tunis extending until 2026. On 21 June 2025, he netted the winning goal in a 1–0 triumph against Los Angeles FC, marking Espérance's inaugural success at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

Youth

Belaili received a call-up to the Algeria U23 squad for the 2010 UNAF U-23 Tournament and was included in Algeria’s roster for the 2011 CAF U-23 Championship held in Morocco.

Senior

He played an instrumental role in Algeria’s victory at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. During the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup, Belaïli made significant contributions by scoring a remarkable 40-yard volley in extra time against Morocco during the quarter-finals and converting a penalty rebound in injury time against Qatar in the semi-final, aiding Algeria’s progression to the final.

In December 2023, Belaïli was selected for Algeria’s squad competing in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Doping ban

In September 2015, Youcef Belaïli received a two-year suspension from the Confederation of African Football after testing positive for cocaine following a match against MC El Eulma on 7 August 2015 during the CAF Champions League. After a second positive test for cocaine during a game versus CS Constantine on 19 September 2015, his suspension was extended to four years and his contract with USM Alger was terminated. In March 2016, FIFA imposed a global ban lasting until 19 September 2019.

Club

>rowspan="3"| Espérance Sportive de Tunis >2024–25 Espérance Sportive de Tunis season >Tunisian Ligue 1 >21 >9 >3 >2 > colspan="2" >— >10Template:Efn name="CCL" >7 >3{{efn One appearance and one goal in Tunisian Super Cup, two appearances and one goal in FIFA Club World Cup}} >>52 >20 >2025–26 Espérance Sportive de Tunis season >Tunisian Ligue 1 >12 >3 >0 >0 > colspan=" - " >- >>15 >5
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[lower-alpha 1] League cup[lower-alpha 2] Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
CA Bordj Bou Arréridj 2009–10 Algerian Ligue 1 4 0 1 0 — — — 5 0
MC Oran 2010–11 Algerian Ligue 1 19 4 2 2 — — — 21 6
2011–12 24 8 0 0 — — — 24 8
Total 43 12 2 2 — — — 45 14
Espérance de Tunis 2011–12 Tunisian Ligue 1 3 0 1 0 — 6[lower-alpha 3] 0 — 10 0
2012–13 Tunisian Ligue 1 20 6 — — 11[lower-alpha 3] 1 — 31 7
2013–14 Tunisian Ligue 1 12 2 0 0 — 0 0 — 12 2
Total 35 8 1 0 — 17 1 — 53 9
USM Alger 2014–15 Algerian Ligue 1

25 ||6 ||2 ||0 || colspan = 2 | — ||8[lower-alpha 3] ||3 || colspan = 2 | — ||35 ||9

2015–16 Algerian Ligue 1 4 3 0 0 — 0 0 4 3
Total 29 9 2 0 — 8 3 — 39 12
Angers 2017–18 Ligue 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 — — 1 0
Espérance de Tunis 2017–18 Tunisian Ligue 1 9 3 1 0 — 13 [lower-alpha 3] 3 — 23 6
2018–19 Tunisian Ligue 1 11 0 2 1 — 11 [lower-alpha 3] 3 5 [lower-alpha 4] 3 29 7
Total 20 3 3 1 — 24 6 5 3 52 13
Al Ahli Saudi 2019–20 Saudi Pro League 13 2 4 3 — 2 [lower-alpha 5] 1 — 19 6
Qatar SC 2020–21 Qatar Stars League 15 13 1 1 — — — 16 14
2021–22 Qatar Stars League 7 2 0 0 1 1 — — 8 3
Total 22 15 1 1 1 1 — — 24 17
Brest 2021–22 >Ligue 1 >3 |>0 |>0 |> colspan="2" |>— |> colspan="2" |>— |> colspan="2" |>— |>13 |>3
>2022–23 Stade Brestois 29 season |>Ligue 1 |>6 |>0 |>0 |>0 |> colspan="2" |>— |> colspan="2" |>— |> colspan="2" |>— |>6 |>0
colspan="2" !Total !19 !3 !0 !0 ! colspan="2" !— ! colspan="2" !— ! colspan="2" !— !19 !3
>AC Ajaccio |>2022–23 AC Ajaccio season |>Ligue 1 |>17 |>6 |>0 |>0 |> colspan="2" |>— |> colspan="2" |>— |> colspan="2" |>— |>17 |>6
>MC Alger |>2023–24 MC Alger season |>Algerian Ligue 1 |>21 |>14 |>5 |>2 |> colspan="2" |>— |> colspan="2" |>— |> colspan="2" |>— |>26 |>16
ColSpan=" - " !Career total !256 !83 !22 !11 !02 !01 !63 !19 !09 !06 !352 !121


International Career

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Appearances Goals
Algeria 2015 2 0
2018 2 0
2019 14 5
2021 16 3
2022 13 1
2023 2 0
2024 4 0
2025 4 1
Total 57 10
Algeria's goal count is listed first in scores and results; the score column reflects the match score immediately following each Belaïli goal.
Detailed record of Youcef Belaïli's international goals
No. Date Location Opponent Score after goal Final result Tournament
1 16 June 2019 Jassim bin Hamad Stadium, Doha, Qatar Template:Fb 2–2 3–2 Friendly match
2 27 June 2019 30 June Stadium, Cairo, Egypt Template:Fb 1–0 1–0 2019 Africa Cup of Nations Group C
3 7 July 2019 30 June Stadium, Cairo, Egypt Template:Fb 1–0 3–0 2019 Africa Cup of Nations
4 14 November 2019 Mustapha Tchaker Stadium, Blida, Algeria Template:Fb 3–0 5–0 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group H
5 18 November 2019 Botswana National Stadium, Gaborone, Botswana Template:Fb 1–0 1–0 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
6 12 November 2021 Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt Template:Fb 1–0 4–0 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round
7 11 December 2021 Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar Template:Fb 2–1 2–2 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
8 15 December 2021 Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar Template:Fb 2–1 2–1 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
9 4 June 2022 5 July Stadium, Algiers, Algeria Template:Fb 2–0 2–0 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
10 5 June 2025 Mohamed Hamlaoui Stadium, Constantine, Algeria Template:Fb 1–0 2–0 Friendly match

Achievements

Espérance de Tunis

MC Alger

Algeria U23

Algeria Senior Team

Individual Awards

  • Recipient of the African Inter-Club Player of the Year (CAF Awards): 2019
  • Silver Ball recipient at the FIFA Arab Cup: 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
  • Included in the FIFA Arab Cup Team of the Tournament: 2021 FIFA Arab Cup
  • Voted Best Algerian Player in Africa: 2024

External links


Cite error: <ref> tags exist for a group named "lower-alpha", but no corresponding <references group="lower-alpha"/> tag was found

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Youcef_Belaïli&oldid=78228"