Lazhar Hadj Aïssa
Encyclopedia
Lazhar Hadj Aïssa (born 23 March 1984 in Batna
) is an Algeria
n professional football
player who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Algerian Kuwaiti Premier League
club Qadsia SC and the Algerian national team
.
legend Roberto Baggio
.
, starting with the youth sides and progressing to become one of the most talented players at the club. In the 2003-2004 season, he made his full debut for the club in the Algerian Second Division
, with his performances on the pitch attracting loads of interest from various domestic clubs.
and made 25 appearances, scoring 2 goals, in his first season. The following season, he made 28 appearances and scored 5 goals.
On June 10, 2006, on the recommendation of Zinedine Zidane
, Hadj Aïssa was offered a trial with Spanish
club Real Madrid
.
In his third season with the club, Hadj Aïssa helped ES Sétif win the 2006–2007 Algerian League
, their first league title since 1987. He also played a crucial role in the team's triumph in the 2006–2007 edition of the Arab Champions League
and was named the Best Player of the competition.
The following season, he helped the club win the 2007–08 Arab Champions League. However, on the domestic front, the club could only manage a third-place finish.
On July 11, 2008, it was announced that he was going on trial with Portuguese club Benfica
. However, days later, he announced that he would not join the club because they were looking to loan him out. Two weeks later, he traveled to Ukraine
and signed with Metalist Kharkov but the club would not match the price tag set by ES Sétif president Abdelhakim Serrar.
On August 9, 2009, Hadj Aïssa signed with Saudi Arabia
n club Al-Ettifaq. However, a few days later, the contract was canceled after Al-Ettifaq faced financial difficulties and failed to pay the transfer fee to ES Sétif.
On August 24, 2009, it was announced that he was going on trial with English Premier League club Portsmouth
. He trained with the club until the end of the transfer window, on September 31 but did not end up signing because of work permit issues. Portsmouth had been keen on keeping him, but due the administrative issues they were unable to do so.
In 2010, he captained his side in the final of the Algerian Cup
, in which they won 3-0.
club Qadsia SC.
|2003-04||rowspan="1"|MSP Batna
||rowspan="1"|Championnat National 2
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|2004-05||rowspan="7"|ES Sétif
||rowspan="6"|Championnat National
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|2008-09||18||0||-||-||-||-||-||-
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|2009-10||22||5||-||-||-||-||22||5
|-
|2010-11||rowspan="1"|Ligue 1||2||1||-||-||-||-||2||1
|-
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Batna City
Batna is the main city of Batna Province, Algeria. With a population of 285,800 it is the fifth largest city in Algeria. It is also one of the principal cities of the Chaoui area and is considered the capital of the Aures.-History:...
) is an Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n professional football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player who currently plays as an attacking midfielder for Algerian Kuwaiti Premier League
Kuwaiti Premier League
The Kuwaiti Premier League is the top division of the Kuwait Football Association league pyramid system. It was created in 1961. Al Arabi holds the best record in the competition, winning it 16 times...
club Qadsia SC and the Algerian national team
Algeria national football team
The Algeria national football team , nicknamed الأفنــاك, Les Fennecs , represents Algeria in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Algérienne de Football. Algeria's home ground is the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and their head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.Algeria has qualified...
.
Personal
Hadj Aïssa is nicknamed "Baggio" because of his hair and his style of play's similarity to ItalianItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
legend Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio
Roberto Baggio is a retired Italian footballer. Widely regarded as one of the finest footballers of his generation, Baggio won both the Ballon d'Or and the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1993. He is the only Italian player ever to score in three World Cups. He is also one of the top 5 all-time...
.
MSP Batna
Hadj Aïssa started his playing career in 1994 with his hometown club MSP BatnaMSP Batna
Mouloudia Sportive Populaire de Batna is an Algerian football club based in the city of Batna, Algeria...
, starting with the youth sides and progressing to become one of the most talented players at the club. In the 2003-2004 season, he made his full debut for the club in the Algerian Second Division
Algerian Championnat National 2
The Ligue Professionnelle 2 , known as Ligue 2 for short, and formerly known as Championnat National 2, is the second-highest division overall in the Algerian football league system...
, with his performances on the pitch attracting loads of interest from various domestic clubs.
ES Sétif
In the summer of 2004, Hadj Aïssa joined ES SétifES Sétif
Entente Sportive Sétifienne , commonly referred to as ES Sétif or ESS for short, is an Algerian professional football club based in Sétif currently playing in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1...
and made 25 appearances, scoring 2 goals, in his first season. The following season, he made 28 appearances and scored 5 goals.
On June 10, 2006, on the recommendation of Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Yazid Zidane is a retired French footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Zidane was a leading figure of a generation of French players that won the 1998 World Cup and 2000 European Championship...
, Hadj Aïssa was offered a trial with Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
club Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
.
In his third season with the club, Hadj Aïssa helped ES Sétif win the 2006–2007 Algerian League
Algerian Championnat National
The Ligue Professionnelle 1 , known as Ligue 1 for short, and formerly known as the Championnat National 1, is the Algerian professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the Algerian football league system...
, their first league title since 1987. He also played a crucial role in the team's triumph in the 2006–2007 edition of the Arab Champions League
Arab Champions League
The Arab Champions League is a football tournament for clubs in the Arab world. It was inspired by the UEFA Champions League.The Arab Champions League was first known as the Arab Club Champions Cup, and established in 1982. In 2001, it merged with the Arab Cup Winners' Cup to form the new Prince...
and was named the Best Player of the competition.
The following season, he helped the club win the 2007–08 Arab Champions League. However, on the domestic front, the club could only manage a third-place finish.
On July 11, 2008, it was announced that he was going on trial with Portuguese club Benfica
SL Benfica
Sport Lisboa e Benfica , commonly known as simply Benfica or occasionally as Benfica Lisbon, is a Portuguese multi-sports club based in Lisbon. Although they successfully compete in a number of different sports, Benfica is mostly known for its association football team...
. However, days later, he announced that he would not join the club because they were looking to loan him out. Two weeks later, he traveled to Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and signed with Metalist Kharkov but the club would not match the price tag set by ES Sétif president Abdelhakim Serrar.
On August 9, 2009, Hadj Aïssa signed with Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
n club Al-Ettifaq. However, a few days later, the contract was canceled after Al-Ettifaq faced financial difficulties and failed to pay the transfer fee to ES Sétif.
On August 24, 2009, it was announced that he was going on trial with English Premier League club Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
. He trained with the club until the end of the transfer window, on September 31 but did not end up signing because of work permit issues. Portsmouth had been keen on keeping him, but due the administrative issues they were unable to do so.
In 2010, he captained his side in the final of the Algerian Cup
Algerian Cup
The Algerian Cup is a football competition in Algeria, pitting regional teams against each other. It was established in October 1962, three months after independence, and has been played yearly since then apart from 1990 and 1993. The 2011 edition was won by JS Kabylie who beat USM El Harrach...
, in which they won 3-0.
Qadsia SC
On August 15, 2011, Hadj Aïssa signed a one year contract with Kuwaiti Premier LeagueKuwaiti Premier League
The Kuwaiti Premier League is the top division of the Kuwait Football Association league pyramid system. It was created in 1961. Al Arabi holds the best record in the competition, winning it 16 times...
club Qadsia SC.
Statistics
|-|2003-04||rowspan="1"|MSP Batna
MSP Batna
Mouloudia Sportive Populaire de Batna is an Algerian football club based in the city of Batna, Algeria...
||rowspan="1"|Championnat National 2
Algerian Championnat National 2
The Ligue Professionnelle 2 , known as Ligue 2 for short, and formerly known as Championnat National 2, is the second-highest division overall in the Algerian football league system...
||-||-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||-||-
|-
|2004-05||rowspan="7"|ES Sétif
ES Sétif
Entente Sportive Sétifienne , commonly referred to as ES Sétif or ESS for short, is an Algerian professional football club based in Sétif currently playing in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1...
||rowspan="6"|Championnat National
Algerian Championnat National
The Ligue Professionnelle 1 , known as Ligue 1 for short, and formerly known as the Championnat National 1, is the Algerian professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the Algerian football league system...
||25||2||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|2005-06||28||5||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|2006-07||23||1||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|2007-08||10||1||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|2008-09||18||0||-||-||-||-||-||-
|-
|2009-10||22||5||-||-||-||-||22||5
|-
|2010-11||rowspan="1"|Ligue 1||2||1||-||-||-||-||2||1
|-
-||-||-||-||-||-||-||-
-||-||-||-||-||-||-||-
Club
ES SétifES Sétif
Entente Sportive Sétifienne , commonly referred to as ES Sétif or ESS for short, is an Algerian professional football club based in Sétif currently playing in the Algerian Ligue Professionnelle 1...
-
- Algerian Championnat NationalAlgerian Championnat NationalThe Ligue Professionnelle 1 , known as Ligue 1 for short, and formerly known as the Championnat National 1, is the Algerian professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the Algerian football league system...
- Winner: 2006-07, 2008–09
- Runner-up: 2009-10
- North African Cup of ChampionsNorth African Cup of ChampionsThe North African Cup of Champions is a tournament designed by the Union of North African Football that puts together the winners of the domestic leagues around North Africa. The tournament contains representatives from Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.-Origin:On October 6, the representatives...
- Winner: 2009
- Algerian CupAlgerian CupThe Algerian Cup is a football competition in Algeria, pitting regional teams against each other. It was established in October 1962, three months after independence, and has been played yearly since then apart from 1990 and 1993. The 2011 edition was won by JS Kabylie who beat USM El Harrach...
- Winner: 2009-10Algerian CupThe Algerian Cup is a football competition in Algeria, pitting regional teams against each other. It was established in October 1962, three months after independence, and has been played yearly since then apart from 1990 and 1993. The 2011 edition was won by JS Kabylie who beat USM El Harrach...
- Winner: 2009-10
- North African Super Cup
- Winner: 20102010 North African Super Cup-External links:***...
- Winner: 2010
- North African Cup Winners CupNorth African Cup Winners CupThe North African Cup Winners Cup is a competition organised by the Federation of North African Football, that contains the winners of the domestic cups around North Africa...
- Winner: 2010
- Arab Champions LeagueArab Champions LeagueThe Arab Champions League is a football tournament for clubs in the Arab world. It was inspired by the UEFA Champions League.The Arab Champions League was first known as the Arab Club Champions Cup, and established in 1982. In 2001, it merged with the Arab Cup Winners' Cup to form the new Prince...
- Winner: 2006-072006-07 Arab Champions League2006 and 2007 saw the 4th edition of Arab Champions League. 32 teams represented Arab nations from Africa and Asia.ES Setif of Algeria won the final against Al Faisaly of Jordan.- The System :* Round 32: Knock out stage* Round 16: Knock out stage...
, 2007-08
- Winner: 2006-07
- CAF Confederation CupCAF Confederation CupThe CAF Confederation Cup is an international club association football competition run by the Confederation of African Football.-Qualification:...
- Runner-up: 2008-09
- Algerian Championnat National
Awards
- Best player of the Arab Champions LeagueArab Champions LeagueThe Arab Champions League is a football tournament for clubs in the Arab world. It was inspired by the UEFA Champions League.The Arab Champions League was first known as the Arab Club Champions Cup, and established in 1982. In 2001, it merged with the Arab Cup Winners' Cup to form the new Prince...
in 2007 - Best young player of the Algerian LeagueAlgerian Championnat NationalThe Ligue Professionnelle 1 , known as Ligue 1 for short, and formerly known as the Championnat National 1, is the Algerian professional league for association football clubs. It is the country's primary football competition and serves as the top division of the Algerian football league system...
in 2006