Essaïd Belkalem facts for kids
Belkalem with Algeria in 2014
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Essaïd Belkalem | ||
| Date of birth | 1 January 1989 | ||
| Place of birth | Mekla, Algeria | ||
| Height | 1.90 m | ||
| Playing position | Defender | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2006–2008 | JS Kabylie | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2008–2013 | JS Kabylie | 83 | (4) |
| 2013–2014 | Granada | 0 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | → Watford (loan) | 8 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Watford | 0 | (0) |
| 2014–2015 | → Trabzonspor (loan) | 16 | (2) |
| 2016–2017 | Orléans | 27 | (1) |
| 2018 | JS Kabylie | 9 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2007–2008 | Algeria U20 | 4 | (0) |
| 2009–2010 | Algeria U23 | 4 | (1) |
| 2010 | Algeria A' | 2 | (2) |
| 2012-2018 | Algeria | 19 | (1) |
† Appearances (Goals). |
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Essaïd Belkalem (Arabic: سعيد بلكالم) was born on January 1, 1989. He is a former professional football player from Algeria. He played as a defender, which means his main job was to stop the other team from scoring goals.
Contents
Playing for Clubs: Essaïd Belkalem's Journey
Essaïd Belkalem started his professional football career in 2008. He joined the senior team of JS Kabylie in Algeria. Before that, he had been part of their junior teams.
In the 2009–2010 season, Belkalem played in 20 games for JS Kabylie. He even scored one goal during that time. A big moment came on July 18, 2010, when he scored the only goal for his team. This goal helped JS Kabylie win against an Egyptian club called Ismaily in a big African competition.
In February 2013, Belkalem announced that he would leave JS Kabylie. He wanted to join a football club in Europe.
Moving to Spain: Granada CF
In June 2013, Essaïd Belkalem signed a five-year contract with Granada. This is a football club in Spain that plays in La Liga, one of the top leagues in the world. He joined them for free because his contract with JS Kabylie had ended.
Playing in England: Watford F.C.
On August 12, 2013, Belkalem moved to England. He joined Watford, a club in the Football League Championship. He joined them for one season on a loan deal. He wore the number 5 shirt for Watford.
His first game for Watford was on August 28, 2013. It was a League Cup match where Watford won 2–0 against Bournemouth. He played the whole game. His first league game was on September 14, 2013, in a 1–1 draw against Charlton Athletic.
Watford liked Belkalem's performance. In June 2014, they decided to sign him permanently. This meant he officially became a Watford player. However, on August 10, 2016, Belkalem left Watford. He had played 10 games for the club over three years.
Loan to Turkey: Trabzonspor
After signing permanently with Watford, Belkalem went on another loan. In 2014, he moved to Trabzonspor, a club in Turkey's top league, the Süper Lig. He played 16 league games and 8 games in the Europa League for Trabzonspor. He also scored three goals during his time there. His loan spell ended on June 2, 2015.
Back to JS Kabylie
On January 15, 2018, Essaïd Belkalem returned to his first club, JS Kabylie. He had been without a club for six months before this return.
Playing for Algeria: International Career
Essaïd Belkalem also played for his home country, Algeria, at different levels.
Youth National Teams
In 2007, he was called up to the Algerian Under-20 national team. He played in a special tournament held in Italy. In 2008, he played in a qualifying match for the 2009 African Youth Championship.
In August 2009, Belkalem joined the Algeria Under-23 national team for a training camp. In 2010, he was called up to the Algeria A' national team for a qualifier game.
Senior National Team
On May 12, 2012, Belkalem was called up to the main Algeria national team for the first time. He was part of the squad for important matches, including 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
His first game for the senior team was on September 9, 2012. He started the match against Libya in a qualifier for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Algeria won that game 1–0, and Belkalem played the entire match.
On May 31, 2014, Belkalem scored his first goal for Algeria. It was in a friendly match against Armenia. Algeria won the game 3–1.
Belkalem was also chosen to be part of Algeria's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. This was a very exciting time, as he helped Algeria reach the Round of 16 for the first time in their history!
Achievements and Recognition
In 2009, Essaïd Belkalem was recognized as one of the top young talents in the Algerian football league. He was voted the third-best young player in a survey.
See also
In Spanish: Essaïd Belkalem para niños
