Faouzi Ghoulam (born 1 February 1991) is an Algerian[1] footballer who plays for AS Saint-Étienne in Ligue 1 and the Algeria national team.
Personal
Ghoulam was born in Saint-Priest-en-Jarez to Algerian parents. His father is from Batna, while his mother is from Annaba.[2] He has 8 brothers and 2 sisters, and his brother Nabil is a cross country runner that represented France at the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country Championships.[3]
Club career
On 22 September 2010, Ghoulam made his professional debut for AS Saint-Étienne coming as a substitute in the 82nd minute of a Coupe de la Ligue match against Nice.[4]
International career
On 18 December 2010, in an interview Algerian newspaper Le Buteur, Ghoulam said that his intentions were to represent Algeria in international competition despite being born in France.[2] On 5 May 2011, Algerian under-23 coach Azzedine Aït Djoudi announced that Ghoulam was hesitant about joining the team, despite the fact that he was the one who contacted the Algerian Football Federation.[5] On 6 October 2011, after being called up to the preliminary squad of the France under-21 team, Ghoulam said that he would be really proud to play for the team.[6]
On 23 November 2012, in an interview following a league game against Valenciennes, Ghoulam announced that he was going to represent Algeriaat the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.[7] A few days later, the Algerian Football Federation confirmed the information through a press release on its website.[8] Ghoulam was selected in the Algeria squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa but he did not participate in any games.[9] On 26 March 2013, Ghoulam made his debut as a starter in a 3–1 win over Benin in the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, providing the assist on the first Algerian goal
.jpg) Ghoulam with Saint-Étienne in 2011 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 1 February 1991 | ||
| Place of birth | Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, France | ||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Playing position | Left back | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Saint-Étienne | ||
| Number | 13 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–1999 | Nouvelle-Défense Saint-Étienne | ||
| 1999–2010 | Saint-Étienne | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 2010– | Saint-Étienne | 64 | (0) |
| National team‡ | |||
| 2012 | France U21 | 2 | (0) |
| 2013– | Algeria | 1 | (0) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 00:00, 16 April 2013 (UTC).
† Appearances (Goals).
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 00:00, 16 April 2013 (UTC) | |||
