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_19_(cropped).jpg) Bentaleb withLille in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Nabil Bentaleb[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1994-11-24)24 November 1994 (age 30)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Lille, France | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)[3] | ||
| Position(s) | Central midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Lille | ||
| Number | 6 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2001–2004 | AJS Wazemmes | ||
| 2004–2009 | Lille | ||
| 2009 | Mouscron | ||
| 2010–2012 | Dunkerque | ||
| 2012–2013 | Tottenham Hotspur | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2013–2017 | Tottenham Hotspur | 46 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | →Schalke 04 (loan) | 32 | (5) |
| 2017–2021 | Schalke 04 | 50 | (7) |
| 2019 | Schalke 04 II | 2 | (0) |
| 2020 | →Newcastle United (loan) | 12 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Angers | 48 | (5) |
| 2023– | Lille | 30 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2012 | France U19 | 1 | (0) |
| 2014– | Algeria | 52 | (5) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 21:06, 8 March 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 10 June 2024 | |||
Nabil Bentaleb (Arabic:نَبِيل بْن طَالِب; born 24 November 1994) is a professionalfootballer who plays as acentral midfielder forLigue 1 clubLille. Born in France, he plays for theAlgeria national team.
Bentaleb made his senior international debut in March 2014 and has represented Algeria at the2014 FIFA World Cup and theAfrica Cup of Nations in2015,2017 and2023.
Born inLille to Algerian parents fromMostaganem, Bentaleb started his career at the academy of local side,Lille.[4] However, he was released from the academy at the age of 15 and then went toBelgium to play forMouscron.[4] Bentaleb then went on trial withBirmingham City before eventually signing into the academy ofTottenham Hotspur in January 2012.[4] During the 2012–13 season, Bentaleb broke into the under-21 side at Tottenham and scored four goals in fourteen matches, including the winning goal againstArsenal'sAcademy.[5] His performance that season earned him a new four-year contract at Tottenham Hotspur until 2018.[5]
On 22 December 2013, Bentaleb was selected into the 18-man first-team squad forTottenham Hotspur in aPremier League match againstSouthampton.[6] He made his professional debut in that match when he came on as asubstitute in the 50th minute forMousa Dembélé, Tottenham won the match 3–2.[6] His first start for Spurs came in theNorth London derby againstArsenal in the third round of theFA Cup on 4 January.[7] Bentaleb scored his first goal for the club on 17 December 2014 in the fifth round of theFootball League Cup againstNewcastle United.[8]
On 1 March 2015, Bentaleb started for Tottenham in the2015 Football League Cup Final, a match they lost 2–0 toChelsea.[9] On 6 July, he signed a new five-year contract.[10]
On 25 August 2016, Bentaleb joinedBundesliga sideSchalke 04 on a season-long loan deal.[11] He went on to make his debut in an away match againstFrankfurt two days later, which Schalke lost 1–0.[12] His first start came the next weekend againstBayern, after which Bentaleb became a fixture in new managerMarkus Weinzierl's starting eleven. Enduring Schalke's worst ever start to a Bundesliga with five consecutive losses,[13] Bentaleb confirmed his desire to remain inGelsenkirchen, saying that "at Schalke they believe in me", while also appreciating the fans' ability to stick beside a team going through a rough patch in comparison to English fans.[14]
On 15 October, Bentaleb came through with his first goal for Schalke, a strike from distance that put them temporarily ahead ofAugsburg in a 1–1 draw. This was the first goal reviewed bygoal-line technology in the Bundesliga to be successfully allowed.[15] In Schalke's next match, he scored twice againstMainz in a 3–0 victory, becoming the first Algerian to achieve the feat in Bundesliga play.[16] Immediately after the match, a report[17] emerged claiming that Bentaleb had already signed a four-year contract to remain with Schalke, which would go in effect after a permanent buying option in his loan deal was picked up, putting his future atWhite Hart Lane in question.[18]
On 24 February 2017, Tottenham Hotspur announced that they had reached an agreement with Schalke 04 for Bentaleb's transfer to be made permanent at the end of the loan period.[19][20]
In March 2019 he was demoted to Schalke's under-23 team, "due to disciplinary reasons".[21] He returned to the first-team in April 2019,[22] before being dropped to the second team again later that month.[23]
On 21 January 2020, Bentaleb signed on loan withNewcastle United for the remainder of the2019–20 Premier League season with the club having the option to make the deal permanent. Bentaleb made his debut in a 0–0 draw against Oxford United in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Bentaleb returned to Schalke at the end of the season after not impressing on loan.[24]
On 6 January 2022, Bentaleb signed for French clubAngers who play inLigue 1, on a two-and-a-half-year contract.[25]
On 28 August 2023, Bentaleb joined his hometown teamLille OSC on a three-year deal.[26] In his first season at the French club, Bentaleb amassed 26 appearances as Lille finished fourth.[27] However, after the season, in June 2024, Bentaleb suffered a cardiac arrest and was told his career might be over.[28]
After over seven months out of action, Bentaleb was cleared to return to competitive football by the French Football Federation on 12 February 2025. He made his return to football on 16 February 2025, coming on as a 76th minute substitute againstRennes.[29] Bentaleb went on to score four minutes into his return, and celebrated by running to the Lille bench, where he was mobbed by his team-mates and coaching staff. Speaking about the goal, Lille bossBruno Genesio proclaimed that the story behind it was "worthy of a film".[30]
On 14 November 2012, Bentaleb made his debut forFrance U19 in a friendly match, coming on as a half-time substitute in a 3–0 loss toGermany U19.
Despite having represented France, he was courted by theAlgerian Football Federation,[31] and accepted its offer.[32] In January 2014, Tottenham Hotspur managerTim Sherwood suggested that theEnglish Football Association were also interested.[33] However, Bentaleb would not meet the requirements to play for England under the unique rules set out in theHome Nations agreement. The Home Nations agreement requires that players engage in a minimum of five years of education before the age of 18 within the territory of the relevant association and does not offer national team eligibility through residency.[34]
On 15 February 2014, Bentaleb pledged his international future toAlgeria.[35] A few days later, he was called up by Algeria coachVahid Halilhodžić for a friendly match againstSlovenia.[36] He made his debut on 5 March, playing the full game in a 2–0 win over Slovenia.[37] He scored his first goal for his country againstRomania on 4 June 2014 at theStade de Genève inSwitzerland.[38]
In June 2014, Bentaleb was named in Algeria's 23-man squad for the2014 FIFA World Cup.[39] He started in midfield for the team's opening match of the tournament – a 2–1 defeat byBelgium inBelo Horizonte on 17 June.[40] He also played the full ninety minutes forLes Fennecs in their two otherGroup H matches; a 4–2 victory overSouth Korea and a 1–1 draw withRussia. However, he was an unused substitute during the team's 2–1 defeat toGermany in theround of 16.[41]
On 15 December 2014, Bentaleb was named in Algeria's 23-man squad for the2015 Africa Cup of Nations inEquatorial Guinea.[42]
In December 2023, he was named in Algeria's squad for the2023 Africa Cup of Nations.[43]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Tottenham Hotspur | 2013–14 | Premier League | 15 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[a] | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6[a] | 0 | 35 | 1 | |
| 2015–16 | Premier League | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 11 | 0 | |
| Total | 46 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 0 | 66 | 1 | ||
| Schalke 04 (loan) | 2016–17 | Bundesliga | 32 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | 9[a] | 2 | 44 | 7 | |
| Schalke 04 | 2017–18 | Bundesliga | 16 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | Bundesliga | 25 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | 6[b] | 3 | 34 | 8 | ||
| 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| Total | 82 | 12 | 10 | 2 | — | 15 | 5 | 107 | 19 | |||
| Newcastle United (loan) | 2019–20 | Premier League | 12 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 0 | ||
| Angers | 2021–22 | Ligue 1 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 18 | 1 | ||
| 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 30 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 33 | 4 | |||
| Total | 48 | 5 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 51 | 5 | ||||
| Lille | 2023–24 | Ligue 1 | 26 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 7[c] | 0 | 34 | 0 | |
| 2024–25 | Ligue 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Total | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 7 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |||
| Career total | 218 | 17 | 22 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 5 | 277 | 25 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 2014 | 9 | 1 |
| 2015 | 10 | 2 | |
| 2016 | 2 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 8 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 8 | 0 | |
| Total | 52 | 5 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 June 2014 | Stade de Genève,Geneva, Switzerland | 3 |  Romania | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 2 | 27 January 2015 | Estadio de Malabo,Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | 13 |  Senegal | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2015 Africa Cup of Nations |
| 3 | 13 June 2015 | Stade Mustapha Tchaker,Blida, Algeria | 17 |  Seychelles | 4–0 | 4–0 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 4 | 12 November 2016 | Godswill Akpabio International Stadium,Uyo, Nigeria | 21 |  Nigeria | 2–1 | 3–1 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 5 | 7 January 2017 | Stade Mustapha Tchaker, Blida, Algeria | 22 |  Mauritania | 3–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
Tottenham Hotspur
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