Youcef Atal

Youcef Atal
Atal with Nice in 2022
Personal information
Full name Youcef Atal[1]
Date of birth (1996-05-17) 17 May 1996 (age 28)
Place of birth Boghni, Algeria
Height 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[2]
Position(s) Right-back
Team information
Current team
 Al Sadd
Number 77
Youth career
2006–2008 CR Belouizdad
2008–2011 JS Kabylie
2011–2012 USM Alger
2012–2014 JS Kabylie
2014–2015 Paradou AC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2015–2018 Paradou AC 46 (5)
2017–2018 → Kortrijk (loan) 10 (0)
2018–2024 Nice 101 (12)
2024 Adana Demirspor 11 (1)
2024– Al Sadd 0 (0)
International career‡
2017– Algeria 41 (2)
Medal record
Men's football
Representing  Algeria
Africa Cup of Nations
Winner 2019 Egypt
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 10:46, 31 May 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:53, 5 September 2024 (UTC)

Youcef Atal (Arabic: يوسف عطال; born 17 May 1996) is an Algerian professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd and the Algeria national team.

Club career

After beginning his professional career in his native Algeria with Paradou AC, Atai was sent on loan to Belgian club KV Kortrijk in 2017. Despite a season in which he suffered a myriad of injuries, Kortrijk nevertheless decided to exercise the purchase option in the loan.[3] Atal joined French club Nice from Kortrijk in 2018, and started the opening match of the season.[4] He scored his first goal for his new side in November, recorded a hat-trick in April, and ended his first season with six total goals.[4][5] He underwent surgery in December 2019 to repair a torn meniscus.[6][7]

On 9 February 2024, Atal signed for Turkish Süper Lig club Adana Demirspor until the end of the season.[8]

In September 2024, Al-Sadd SC of the Qatar Stars League signed Atal to a two-year contract.[9]

International career

On 1 June 2017, Atal was called up to the Algeria national team for the first time for a friendly match against Guinea and a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Togo.[10]

In December 2023, he was named in Algeria's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.[11]

Controversy

On 14 October 2023, amidst the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Atal posted a video on social media of Palestinian preacher Mahmoud al-Hasanat asking God to "send Jewish people a dark day". He quickly removed the video after receiving criticism, notably from Nice mayor Christian Estrosi, who stated that unless Atal "denounces Hamas terrorists, he no longer has a place at [OGC Nice]".[12] Atal subsequently published a message on Instagram apologizing for posting the video, and clarified his beliefs by stating that he "denounce[s] all forms of violence".[12] On 16 October, the Nice public prosecutor's office initiated a preliminary investigation into Atal on charges of "defending terrorism".[13] Two days later, OGC Nice suspended Atal until further notice after the anti-Semitic post.[14] On 25 October, he was suspended for seven matches by the Ligue de Football Professionnel for posting the message.[15]

On the 24 November, Atal was detained by French Police over the anti-Semitic posts.[16] In January 2024, Atal was convicted of inciting religious hatred and given an eight-month suspended sentence.[17]

Career statistics

International

As of match played 5 September 2024[18]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team Year Apps Goals
Algeria 2017 4 0
2018 2 1
2019 12 0
2021 4 0
2022 7 1
2023 5 0
2024 8 0
Total 41 2
Algeria score listed first, score column indicates score after each Atal goal.[18]
List of international goals scored by Youcef Atal
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition Ref.
1 18 November 2018 Stade Municipal, Lomé, Togo 6  Togo 2–0 4–1 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualification [19]
2 27 September 2022 Olympic Stadium, Oran, Algeria 28  Nigeria 2–1 2–1 Friendly [20]

Honours

Paradou AC

Nice

Algeria

References

  1. ^ "Algeria" (PDF). Confederation of African Football. 15 June 2019. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Youcef Atal". OGC Nice. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  3. ^ Oliveira, Steven (4 December 2018). "Youcef Atal, le déjeuner est servi". SOFOOT.com (in French). Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Youcef Atal, le jour où..." OGC Nice (in French). 5 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  5. ^ "Youcef Atal 2018-2019 Match Logs". FBref.com. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  6. ^ "Atal : « Je me sens bien »". OGC Nice (in French). 30 July 2020. Archived from the original on 29 November 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Lésion méniscale pour Atal". OGC Nice (in French). Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  8. ^ "Algeria's Atal signs for Turkish club after France conviction". France 24. 9 February 2024. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  9. ^ "Youcef Atal joins Al-Sadd until 2026 – Al Sadd Sports Club". 9 September 2024. Retrieved 29 November 2024.
  10. ^ M-A-D (1 June 2017). "EN : 25 joueurs convoqués par Alcaraz, beaucoup de nouveautés". DZfoot (in French). Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  11. ^ "CAN 2024 : L'Algérie Dévoile sa Liste Officielle – Qui Sont les Fennecs Prêts à Conquérir l'Afrique ?" (in French). Algérie-Focus. 30 December 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
  12. ^ a b "OGC Nice's Youcef Atal apologises for anti-semitic social media post - Get French Football News". 15 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Youcef Atal: Nice and Algeria defender investigated for alleged antisemitic social media post". BBC Sport. 16 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Youcef Atal: Nice suspend Algeria defender for alleged antisemitic social media post". BBC Sport. 18 October 2023.
  15. ^ "French league suspends Atal for 7 games for sharing an antisemitic message on social media". AP News. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  16. ^ "French Police detain Youcef Atal for posting social media post on Israel-Hamas war". wionews.com. 28 November 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  17. ^ "Youcef Atal: Nice's Algeria defender given eight-month suspended sentence for inciting religious hatred". BBC Sport. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Youcef Atal". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  19. ^ "Afcon 2019: Mahrez brace helps Algeria qualify for Nations Cup". BBC Sport. 18 November 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  20. ^ "Algeria vs. Nigeria - Football Match Summary". ESPN. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  21. ^ "Ludovic Blas penalty wins French Cup for Nantes". BBC Sport. 7 May 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  22. ^ Rose, Gary (19 July 2019). "Senegal 0–1 Algeria". BBC Sport. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
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