Called up once for the France team in October 2020, the Olympique Lyonnais player announced on Thursday his desire to continue his international career with the Fennecs.
Houssem Aouar draws a line under the France team. The 24-year-old Olympique Lyonnais midfielder announced on Thursday March 16 that he would continue his international career with the Algerian team. “Long live Algeria”, wrote in Arabic the one who has dual nationality in a message published on his social networks where he appears with the jersey of the Fennecs. Selected by Didier Deschamps during the October 2020 gathering for the France team, Houssem Aouar had worn the tricolor jersey once, against Ukraine in a friendly match at the Stade de France.
In a video released by the Algerian Football Federation (FAF) on its website, the 24-year-old said that the idea of representing the Fennecs “has been on his mind for a very long time”, and that he had finally decided after taking the time to reflect following a call from the boss of the FAF, Djahid Zefizef, who had contacted him this summer while he was on vacation in Algeria . “I have a large part of me which is French because I was born here and I grew up here, but also I have a large part of me which is Algerian because I have my origins and also the just how I was educated at home”, he explained in the video. Before adding:The coach (Djamel Belmadi) and the president (of the FAF) held out their hand to me and I saw it as a sign of fate, I had a second chance and I jumped on it. This selection represents a lot for me, for my family, for my parents, so it’s something very strong for me. It’s not a default choice at all, it’s simply a choice of the heart.“.
In accordance with Fifa regulations, Houssem Aouar still had the option of changing his sporting nationality, as the match he played with France was not official. Since the start of his professional career in 2016, the subject of playing for Algeria or for the Blues often came up on the table for the player. Carried by a Final 8 of the Champions League where he had been excellent with OL in the summer of 2020, the number 8 had taken the opportunity to discover the Blues in an empty Stade de France due to the Covid-19.
Djamel Belmadi was already making eyes at him in 2019
Since then, the midfielder has not been recalled by Didier Deschamps. Less than two hours before the French coach announced, Thursday, March 16, his list of players selected for the two matches against the Netherlands (March 24) and Ireland (March 27), Houssem Aouar formalized his decision. He knows he is far from the plans of the coach and the level to rejoin the France team. Announced as a great hope of French football, from the renowned training center of OL, the Lyonnais lives an almost blank 2022-2023 season due to numerous injuries and poor performances.
The Franco-Algerian should therefore be selected for Algeria’s next two matches against Niger (March 23 and 27). Fennecs coach Djamel Belmadi will be able to count on a player he has wanted to have in his squad for a long time. “We will meet him with his family, explain the project to him and tell him what awaits him if he decides to return to his country.“, assured Djamel Belmadi in January 2019. Four years later, the project has matured in the mind of Houssem Aouar, who is preparing to return to the international level.