 | Thisbiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Djamel Belmadi" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 Belmadi in 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Djamel Belmadi[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | (1976-03-25)25 March 1976 (age 49) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Champigny-sur-Marne, France | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Al Duhail (head coach) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1986–1987 | PA Champigny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–1992 | AS Sucy-en-Brie | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1992–1996 | Paris Saint-Germain | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996 | Paris Saint-Germain | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1996–1997 | Martigues | 31 | (8) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997–1998 | Marseille | 0 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998–1999 | Cannes | 26 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2003 | Marseille | 48 | (9) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1999–2000 | →Celta Vigo (loan) | 10 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003 | →Manchester City (loan) | 8 | (0) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | Al-Ittihad | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Al-Kharitiyath | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Southampton | 36 | (3) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Valenciennes | 37 | (2) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 197+ | (28+) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | Algeria | 20 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | Lekhwiya | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Qatar B | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Qatar | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2018 | Al Duhail[a] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2024 | Algeria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2025– | Al Duhail | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Djamel Belmadi (Arabic:جَمَال بَلمَاضِيّ; born 25 March 1976) is a professionalfootball coach and former player. He is the current head coach ofQatar Stars League sideAl Duhail. Born in France, he represented Algeria internationally between 2000 and 2004.
As a player he wasmidfielder who had spells inLigue 1 withParis Saint-Germain,Marseille,Cannes andValenciennes. He also briefly played inLa Liga forCelta Vigo and in thePremier League forManchester City. Later on in his career he returned toEngland and played several seasons atSouthampton whilst the club were in theFootball League. He also played forMartigues,Al-Ittihad andAl-Kharitiyath. Born inFrance, he played internationally forAlgeria and was capped 20 times.
As a coach, Belmadi has managedLekhwiya,Qatar B,Qatar,Al-Duhail[a] and most recently, Algeria.
Born inChampigny-sur-Marne, France, Belmadi started his career atParis Saint-Germain, making his debut in January 1996 againstGueugnon, before spending a season atMartigues. He spent the 1997–98 season atMarseille, and then moved toCannes for the 1998–99 season. In August 1999, he was signed again by Marseille, but immediately went on loan to Spanish clubCelta Vigo.
In January 2000, Belmadi returned to Marseille, eventually securing a regular place in the first team's midfield in 2000–01. In January 2001, he made good use of a rare opportunity presented him to play in Marseille's attack, when Liberian maestroGeorge Weah—who had been the main attacker—was away on international duty with the Lone Stars ofLiberia. Belmadi seized the opportunity to score a vital goal for Marseille against fellow strugglersToulouse to keep Marseille just outside the relegation zone.
On 14 April 2001, he scored the winning goal in Marseille's 2–1 victory overSedan, before a near–60,000 crowd, givingBernard Tapie's team a much needed lifeline out of relegation.
In January 2003, Belmadi had fallen out of favour at Marseille, now managed byAlain Perrin, who agreed to loan him toKevin Keegan’sManchester City after a successful trial. He joined ranks with fellow AlgerianAli Benarbia.
He made his full debut for Manchester City on 29 January 2003 atMaine Road in a 4–1 victory againstFulham (alongside another recruit from the French league –David Sommeil).
In Belmadi's brief time at Manchester City, he only made two starts and six substitute appearances, the last of which was in a 1–0 defeat againstSouthampton on 11 May 2003 in the final league game at Maine Road.
Although Kevin Keegan liked Belmadi's style of play, he conceded that he could not afford another free spirit in a side already containingEyal Berkovic and Ali Bernabia, so Belmadi returned to Marseille.
In August 2003, he was released by Marseille and played the 2003–04 and 2004–05 seasons inQatar withAl-Ittihad andAl-Kharitiyath.
In July 2005, after trials atCeltic,Wigan Athletic andSunderland, Belmadi joinedSouthampton (then playing in the Football League Championship) for their pre-season tour of Scotland.Harry Redknapp initially gave Belmadi a one-month contract, and he made his debut on 6 August 2005 in a 0–0 draw againstWolverhampton Wanderers. His contract was extended until the end of the 2005–06 season after impressive performances in his early games, including a goal againstCrewe Alexandra on 27 August 2005. In January 2006, he picked up a thigh injury, which put him out of the team until April.
Belmadi had, however, done enough to persuade Southampton, now managed byGeorge Burley, to re-sign him for the 2006–07 season. This was again blighted by injury problems, including a knee injury picked up in September, which put him out until February. He picked up several other niggling injuries putting him out for long periods. When fit, there was no doubting Belmadi's ability and quality on the ball whether playing on the left or right of midfield. At his best, he could unpick defenses with his passing and kept the ball well. Unfortunately, his injuries restricted him to 40 appearances in his two years atSt Mary's. His contract with the Saints expired on 30 June 2007 and was not renewed as Southampton faced up to the financial realities of a third season inthe Championship.[2]
After being released by Southampton, Belmadi returned to France and joinedValenciennes. He retired from football in 2009.
Belmadi made his debut forAlgeria on 9 July 2000 againstMorocco. He was part of the Algerian2004 African Nations Cup team, who finished second in their group in the first round of competition before being defeated by Morocco in the quarter-finals. Belmadi last played for Algeria in a World Cup qualifier againstZimbabwe on 20 June 2004, having made 20 appearances and scoring 5 goals.
In the summer of 2010, Belmadi was appointed as the head coach of newly promotedQatar Stars League clubLekhwiya.[3] In his first season with the club, he led them to the2010–11 Qatar Stars League title for the first time in the club's history. He also led them to the final of the2010 Sheikh Jassem Cup, where they lost toAl Arabi.For the second time,Lekhwiya won the2011–12 Qatar Stars League title, under the management of Belmadi. He resigned on 8 October 2012 after a bad start of the 2012–13 season.
In December 2013, Belmadi was appointed as head coach of theQatar B team, which was set to participate in the2014 WAFF Championship on home soil. He called up a number of foreigners to the national team, including compatriotsBoualem Khoukhi andKarim Boudiaf after being informed by theQFA that they were eligible to compete for Qatar.[4] Qatar were crowned champions of the 2014 WAFF Championship after defeatingJordan on 7 January.[5] They finished the tournament undefeated, with 10 goals scored and a single goal conceded.
On 15 March 2014, Belmadi was unveiled as the new head coach of theQatar senior football team, replacingFahad Thani.[6] His first match as Qatar coach was a 0–0 draw withMacedonia. He led his team to a notable 1–0 first-ever victory overAustralia in a friendly match on 14 October 2014, after having posted a 5–0 win overLebanon and a 3–0 victory overUzbekistan in their two previous matches.[7] In correspondence to Qatar's performance in the aforementioned friendly matches, sports channelAl Kass stated that Qatar is "showing signs of evolution with Belmadi" and that the team was "undergoing a renewal."[8] He led Qatar to win the22nd Arabian Gulf Cup by beating hostSaudi Arabia in the final. However, Qatar showed a poor form in the2015 AFC Asian Cup and was eliminated in the group stages after three consecutive defeats byUnited Arab Emirates,Iran andBahrain. He was dismissed from his post on 30 April 2015.[9]
On 19 June 2015, Belmadi was appointed for the second time in his career to coachLekhwiya; he was a replacement forMichael Laudrup. In 2017, the club was rebranded to Al-Duhail SC following the absorption ofEl Jaish.[citation needed]
On 2 August 2018, Belmadi became the manager of theAlgeria national team.[10] At his second international football championship (having coached Qatar in the2015 AFC Asian Cup), Belmadi's Algerian team was not considered a serious contender for the trophy because Algeria's performance in the2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification was not promising, despite topping the group with two draws toGambia and an away-loss toBenin. The unimpressive qualification campaign increased the pressure on Belmadi.
Despite heavy criticism, Belmadi led Algeria to success and earned his first international trophy. Algeria defeated every opponent on its road to the final of the2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) held in Egypt, including two victories overSenegal in the group stage and thefinal. Algeria won its second continental title and became the North African second team, afterEgypt, to win more than one AFCON trophy.[11]
In the2021 AFCON, the defending champions Algeria finished last in their group to be eliminated from the tournament.[12] During the2022 World Cup qualification third round, Algeria failed to qualify to the final tournament in Qatar, having lost on away goals rule againstCameroon following a 2–2 draw on aggregate.[13]
In January 2023, Belmadi extended his contract until 2026.[14]
In the2023 AFCON held inIvory Coast, Algeria led by Belmadi exited the tournament after their defeat againstMauritania, without scoring any win in the group phase.[15] On 24 January 2024, Belmadi's position as national team manager was terminated by mutual consent.[16] However, despite immediately resigning himself in front of the players, Belmadi asked theFAF for a severance package worth 29 months of salary, equivalent to €7 million. Faced with a refusal from the FAF, he then threatened to bring the matter to the FIFA for a ruling.[17]
In June 2025, Belmadi returned to Al-Duhail for his third spell as head coach.[18]
While Belmadi was with Manchester City, he, along with playersDaniel Van Buyten andVicente Vuoso, were the victims of a theft by two bank workers. At the time that Belmadi left Manchester City, he left £230,000 in an account with theCo-operative Bank. In total, the bank workers stole more than £350,000 from the accounts of the three players.
In January 2006, the bank workers, Paul Sherwood, a cashier, and Paul Hanley, his supervisor, were jailed for 32 months and 12 months respectively.[19][20]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 2000 | 2 | 0 |
| 2001 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2002 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2003 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2004 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 20 | 5 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 January 2001 | Stade 5 Juillet 1962,Algiers, Algeria |  Namibia | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2002 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 2 | 6 October 2001 | Stade de France,Saint-Denis, France |  France | 1–3 | 1–4 | Friendly |
| 3 | 11 October 2002 | Stade 19 Mai 1956,Annaba, Algeria |  Chad | 3–0 | 4–1 | 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4 | 11 October 2002 | Stade 19 Mai 1956, Annaba, Algeria | Chad | 4–0 | 4–1 | 2004 African Cup of Nations qualification |
| 5 | 12 February 2003 | Stade 19 Mai 1956, Annaba, Algeria |  Belgium | 1–3 | 1–3 | Friendly |
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
 Lekhwiya | 1 July 2010 | 8 October 2012 | 42 | 27 | 9 | 6 | 064.3 | |
| Qatar B | December 2013 | January 2014 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100.0 | |
| Qatar | 15 March 2014 | 30 April 2015 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 045.0 | |
| Al-Duhail[a] | 19 January 2015 | 12 July 2018 | 104 | 72 | 15 | 17 | 069.2 | |
 Algeria | 18 August 2018 | 24 January 2024 | 64 | 41 | 17 | 6 | 064.1 | |
| Al-Duhail | 7 June 2025 | Present | 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 033.3 | |
| Total | 269 | 173 | 59 | 37 | 064.3 | |||
Individual
Al-Duhail[a]
Qatar B
Qatar
Algeria
Individual
Awards | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
International tournaments | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
