Louisa Cadamuro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Louisa Nécib

Nécib with France in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Louisa Nécib Cadamuro
Date of birth	(1987-01-23) 23 January 1987 (age 38)
Place of birth	Marseille, France
Height	1.68 m
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
2000–2002	US Marseille
2002–2004	Celtic de Marseille
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2004–2006	CNFE Clairefontaine	38	(9)
2006–2007	Montpellier	20	(11)
2007–2016	Lyon	173	(64)
Total		231	(84)
National team
2003	France U17
2004–2005	France U19
2006	France U20	6	(2)
2005–2016	France	145	(36)
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Louisa Nécib Cadamuro (born January 23, 1987) is a French former professional footballer. She played for the French national team. Louisa spent most of her career at Lyon. She won many titles with the French club over nine years. She played as an attacking midfielder and was known for her amazing skills. People described her as a "gifted playmaker" with "superb technique". She was also known for her "elegant possession, great passing, and gentle touch on the ball".

The French media often called her "the female Zidane". This is because, like Zinedine Zidane, she has Algerian family roots. She also grew up in Marseille and showed incredible skill, especially as a playmaker who could score goals. Because of this, her nickname became "Ziza", which is a short version of Zidane's nickname, "Zizou". Louisa has said that Zidane is a role model for her. She always enjoyed watching him play the most. She feels proud of the comparison but believes no one can truly be compared to Zidane because he is unique. In 2004, Louisa met Zidane at the Clairefontaine training center. They traded jerseys, and Louisa's father still has the jersey she got from Zidane.

Early Football Journey

Louisa Nécib started her football journey playing for youth clubs in her hometown of Marseille. These clubs included Union Sportive Marseille and Celtic de Marseille. At Celtic, she played her first senior team game in 2003. The next year, she helped the club win the Division 3 Féminine, a league title.

In 2004, Louisa was chosen to join CNFE Clairefontaine. This is a special training center for young female players. She trained there for two years. In 2006, she moved to Montpellier, a club in the top French league, Division 1 Féminine. In her only season with Montpellier, Louisa helped the team win the 2006–07 Challenge de France, which is a national cup.

After Montpellier, she joined Lyon in 2007. At Lyon, Louisa won many trophies. These included nine league titles, six French Cups, and three UEFA Women's Champions League titles. For her great playing during the 2008–09 season, she was named the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Female Player of the Year.

Playing for Clubs

Starting Her Career

Louisa Nécib began her football career as a young player for her local club, Union Sportive de Marseille. After two years, she joined Celtic de Marseille. In April 2002, she was chosen to play in the under-16 female National Cup. This competition was also a training camp for the famous Clairefontaine academy. Louisa impressed the coaches and even won an award for having the best shot.

At 16, Louisa joined Celtic's senior team. In the 2003–04 season, she helped the club reach the Division 3 Féminine league final. Celtic won the final 4–1, which meant the club was promoted to the Division 2 Féminine, the second division of French women's football. Her great play that season earned her the nickname Titou, like Zinedine Zidane's nickname Zizou.

In July 2004, Louisa was chosen to attend the CNFE academy at Clairefontaine. She found it hard at first because she was far from her family. But she soon became friends with future teammates like Sarah Bouhaddi and Élodie Thomis. She played for the CNFE team in the Division 1 Féminine. On August 29, 2004, she played her first league game against Lyon. She scored the winning goal in the 90th minute, helping her team win 1–0. She finished that season with 20 league games and six goals.

Time at Montpellier

After finishing her training at Clairefontaine, Louisa joined Montpellier. She played her first game for them on September 3, 2006. Two weeks later, she scored her first goals for the club, scoring twice in a 5–0 win. She scored 11 league goals that season. Louisa helped Montpellier reach the final of the Challenge de France, the women's domestic cup. They faced Lyon and won 3–0 on penalties. This was Louisa's first big trophy.

Success with Lyon

On June 22, 2007, Lyon announced that they had signed Louisa Nécib. She wore the number 14 shirt. She played her first game for Lyon on September 2, 2007, in a 4–0 league win. A week later, she scored her first goal for Lyon from a penalty kick.

Louisa also played in the 2007–08 UEFA Women's Cup, a European competition. In her first game, she scored three goals in a huge 12–0 win. Lyon reached the semi-finals of the European competition. In the league, Lyon won its second straight league title, which was Louisa's first with the club. She also helped Lyon win the Challenge de France again, completing a league and cup double. She scored a goal in the 3–0 final win.

Nécib playing in a league match in the 2009–10 season.

In the 2008–09 season, Louisa scored her first league goal on September 14, 2008, in a 12–0 win. She scored two goals in an 8–1 victory a month later. In the UEFA Women's Cup, she scored two goals in an 8–0 win. Lyon reached the semi-finals again. Lyon won its third straight league title that season. Louisa was named the National Union of Professional Footballers (UNFP) Female Player of the Year for her great performances.

For the 2009–10 season, Louisa changed to the number 10 shirt. She scored two goals in a 5–0 win against Soyaux. Lyon won its fourth league title in a row. In the UEFA Women's Champions League, Louisa played eight games and scored four goals. Lyon reached the final but lost on penalties.

Nécib with Lyon in 2013

In the 2010–11 season, Louisa scored 14 goals, which was her second time scoring double-digit goals for Lyon. She scored her first league hat trick in an 8–0 victory on the final day of the season. Lyon won its fifth straight league title. In the 2010–11 Women's Champions League, Lyon reached the final again. This time, Lyon won the match 2–0, claiming its first-ever European title!

Louisa signed a new four-year contract with Lyon in July 2012. On May 21, 2016, Lyon announced that Louisa Nécib would be leaving the club. In July 2016, she confirmed that she would end her football career after the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Playing for Her Country

Youth Teams

Louisa Nécib played for France's youth national teams at every level. In September 2003, she was first called up to the under-17 team. She then played for the under-19 team. With the under-19 team, she played in the 2004 and 2005 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championships. In 2005, France reached the final but lost on penalties.

Because France finished second in 2005, the team qualified for the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship. Louisa played in all four matches for France at the World Cup. She scored a goal in the team's first game against Argentina in a 5–0 win. France reached the quarter-finals.

Senior Team

Nécib, bottom center, before France's match against Germany at the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup

Louisa made her debut for the senior national team on February 19, 2005, in a friendly match against Norway. France won 2–0. At just 18 years old, Louisa was chosen to play in UEFA Women's Euro 2005.

After 2006, Louisa became a regular player for the senior team. On April 11, 2007, she scored her first international goal in a 6–0 win over Greece. This was during qualification for UEFA Women's Euro 2009. She helped France qualify for the competition. In the 2009 Cyprus Cup, she scored another goal. Louisa played in all four of France's matches at Women's Euro 2009. She scored her first major international goal in the opening game against Iceland in a 3–1 win. France reached the quarter-finals.

Nécib playing for France in a match against Austria in 2013.

Louisa then helped France qualify for the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup. She scored two goals during the qualification rounds. In September 2010, France won a playoff against Italy to qualify for their second World Cup. On June 6, 2011, Louisa was named to the World Cup squad.

In France's first World Cup game against Nigeria, Louisa was named the Player of the Match. She helped France reach the semi-finals of the competition. France lost to the United States in the semi-finals. Louisa was praised for her performances during the World Cup. She also played in the 2012 Summer Olympics for France, where the team finished in fourth place.

How She Played

Louisa Nécib mainly played as an attacking midfielder. She could also play in the middle of the field as a deep-lying midfielder or as a winger. For her club, she often played as a playmaker in the number 10 role. For the national team, she sometimes played as a winger.

Two of Louisa's best skills were her vision and passing. People described her passing as "sublime" (meaning amazing). She also had a great understanding of the game, which meant she had a "great football IQ". Besides being creative and having an eye for goal, she was known for her excellent control and dribbling skills. Her technical ability allowed her to know "when to take on a defender, how to find a teammate with a perfect pass, and how to create scoring chances". Because of these reasons, her playing style was often compared to Zinedine Zidane.

Personal Life

Louisa Nécib was born on January 23, 1987, in Marseille, France. Her parents are from Algeria. Her father came from Biskra, and her mother came from Oran. Louisa grew up in Busserine, a neighborhood in Marseille. She has a brother and a sister.

Louisa loved football from a young age. She used to play mostly with boys in her neighborhood. She didn't know that girls' teams existed until she found a club in her area and joined.

In June 2016, she married footballer Liassine Cadamuro-Bentaïba.

Career statistics

Club

International

Nécib playing for France in 2013

Scores and results list France's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Cadamuro goal.

List of international goals scored by Louisa Cadamuro

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	11 April 2007	Stade Georges Pompidou, Valence, France	Greece	4–0	6–0	UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying
2	27 October 2007	Stadion Kralj Petar I, Belgrade, Serbia	Greece	3–0	8–0	UEFA Women's Euro 2009 qualifying
3	10 March 2009	Makario Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus	South Africa	2–0	3–2	2009 Cyprus Cup
4	12 August 2009	Stade des Grands Prés, Chartres, France	Scotland	3–0	4–0	Friendly
5	24 August 2009	Ratina Stadion, Tampere, Finland	Iceland	3–1	3–1	UEFA Women's Euro 2009
6	28 October 2009	Stade Jules Deschaseaux, Le Havre, France	Estonia	2–0	12–0	2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
7	27 March 2010	Stade de la Libération, Boulogne-sur-Mer, France	Northern Ireland	5–0	6–0	2011 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
8	19 November 2010	Stade Jean Bouin, Angers, France	Poland	2–0	5–0	Friendly
9				3–0
10	18 June 2011	Stade de l'Épopée, Calais, France	Belgium	6–0	7–0	Friendly
11	22 September 2011	Turners Cross, Cork, Ireland	Republic of Ireland	1–0	3–1	UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying
12	16 November 2011	Stade René Serge Nabajoth, Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe	Uruguay	3–0	8–0	Friendly
13	20 November 2011	Stade Pierre-Aliker, Fort-de-France, Martinique	Mexico	1–0	5–0	Friendly
14	4 March 2012	Paralimni Stadium, Paralimni, Cyprus	England	1–0	3–0	2012 Cyprus Cup
15	6 March 2012	GSZ Stadium, Larnaca, Cyprus	Canada	2–0	2–0	2012 Cyprus Cup
16	4 July 2012	Stade de la Source, Orléans, France	Romania	3–0	6–0	Friendly
17	19 September 2012	Tynecastle Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland	Scotland	4–0	5–0	UEFA Women's Euro 2013 qualifying
18	13 February 2013	Stade de la Meinau, Strasbourg, France	Germany	1–1	3–3	Friendly
19				2–1
20	9 March 2013	Stade Robert Diochon, Rouen, France	Brazil	1–1	1–1	Friendly
21	18 July 2013	Arena Linköping, Linköping, Sweden	England	2–0	3–0	UEFA Women's Euro 2013
22	22 July 2013	Arena Linköping, Linköping, Sweden	Denmark	1–1	1–1	UEFA Women's Euro 2013
23	20 September 2013	Stade Robert Bobin, Bondoufle, France	Czech Republic	2–0	2–0	Friendly
24	25 October 2013	Stade Pierre Brisson, Beauvais, France	Poland	4–0	6–0	Friendly
25	31 October 2013	Sonnensee Stadion, Ritzing, Austria	Austria	1–0	3–1	2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
26	28 November 2013	MMArena, Le Mans, France	Bulgaria	4–0	14–0	2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
27	8 February 2014	Stade de la Licorne, Amiens, France	Sweden	2–0	3–0	Friendly
28				3–0
29	7 March 2014	GSP Stadium, Nicosia, Cyprus	Australia	3–0	3–2	2014 Cyprus Cup
30	20 June 2014	Rentschler Field, Hartford, USA	United States	1–0	2–2	Friendly
31	13 September 2014	ISS Stadion, Vantaa, Finland	Finland	1–0	2–0	2015 FIFA Women's World Cup qualification
32	17 September 2014	Stade de l'Épopée, Calais, France	Finland	2–1	3–1	2015 FIFA World Cup qualification
33	26 June 2015	Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Canada	Germany	1–0	1–1	2015 FIFA Women's World Cup
34	26 January 2016	La Manga Stadium, La Manga, Spain	Norway	1–0	1–0	Friendly
35	9 August 2016	Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador, Brazil	New Zealand	2–0	3–0	2016 Olympic Games
36				3–0

Honours

Celtic Marseille

• Division 3 Féminine: 2003–04

Montpellier

• Challenge de France: 2006–07

Lyon

• Division 1 Féminine (9): 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
• Coupe de France Féminine (6): 2007–08, 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14, 2014–15, 2015–16
• UEFA Women's Champions League: 2010–11, 2011–12, 2015–16
• International Women's Club Championship: 2012
• Valais Cup: 2014

France

• Cyprus Cup: 2012, 2014

Individual

• UNFP Female Player of the Year: 2008–09
• FIFA Women's World Cup All-Star Team: 2011
• FIFA Puskás Award nominee 2013

See also

In Spanish: Louisa Nécib para niños