1. Early life and career
Aïssa Mandi's football journey began at a young age in France, where he was born, before he rose through the ranks of a prominent French club's youth system.
1.1. Early life
Aïssa Mandi was born on 22 October 1991, in Châlons-en-Champagne, a town in northern France. His parents are of Algerian descent, originating from Chlef according to some sources, while others state their origin as Oran.
1.2. Youth career
Mandi started playing football at the age of eight, joining the youth academy of Stade de Reims in 2000. He spent nine years developing his skills within the club's youth system before transitioning to professional football.
2. Club career
Mandi's professional club career has seen him play for teams in France and Spain, participating in various domestic leagues and European competitions.
2.1. Stade de Reims
Mandi made his professional debut for Stade de Reims on 20 August 2010, starting in a Ligue 2 match against Le Havre. During the 2011-12 season, he made 26 appearances, contributing to Reims' successful promotion from Ligue 2 to Ligue 1. On 5 April 2014, while playing against Paris Saint-Germain, Mandi notably scored two own goals in the same match. He remained with Reims until 2016, making 161 league appearances and scoring 14 goals.
2.2. Real Betis
On 30 June 2016, Mandi signed a five-year contract with La Liga side Real Betis. He spent five seasons with the Spanish club, becoming a regular in their defense. During his tenure, he made 152 league appearances, scoring 7 goals.
2.3. Villarreal CF
Following the expiration of his contract with Real Betis, Mandi signed a four-year deal with fellow La Liga club Villarreal on 16 June 2021. His professional debut for Villarreal came on 11 August 2021, in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea, where he unfortunately missed a penalty during the decisive shoot-out. On 29 August 2021, in a match against Atlético Madrid, Mandi scored an own goal due to a miscommunication with his team's goalkeeper. During his time at Villarreal, he also participated in European competitions, including the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
2.4. Lille OSC
On 1 August 2024, Aïssa Mandi returned to France, signing a two-year contract with Lille. This move marked his return to French football after several seasons in Spain.
3. International career
Aïssa Mandi has had a significant career with the Algerian national football team, representing his country in major international tournaments and achieving notable milestones.
3.1. National team selection
Despite being born in France and being eligible to play for the French national team, Mandi made the decision to represent Algeria, the country of his parents' origin, on the international stage.
3.2. Debut and early international career
Mandi made his debut for the Algerian national team on 5 March 2014, in a match against Slovenia, which Algeria won 2-0. He was subsequently included in Algeria's squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, where he was considered one of the revelations of the Algerian team.
3.3. Africa Cup of Nations
Mandi has been a consistent presence in Algeria's squads for the Africa Cup of Nations. He participated in the tournaments in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2023. A highlight of his international career was winning the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations with Algeria. In December 2023, he was again named in Algeria's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
3.4. Milestones
Mandi scored his first goal for Algeria on 29 March 2016, in a 3-3 away draw against Ethiopia during the qualifiers for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon. On 10 October 2024, he achieved a significant milestone by featuring in his 100th international match for Algeria, a 5-1 victory against Togo during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification campaign.
3.5. International goals
Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mandi goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29 March 2016 | Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Ethiopia | 2-2 | 3-3 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2 | 29 March 2021 | Mustapha Tchaker Stadium, Blida, Algeria | Botswana | 1-0 | 5-0 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 3 | 12 October 2021 | Stade Général Seyni Kountché, Niamey, Niger | Niger | 2-0 | 4-0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
| 4 | 4 June 2022 | Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers, Algeria | Uganda | 1-0 | 2-0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 5 | 22 March 2024 | Nelson Mandela Stadium, Algiers, Algeria | Bolivia | 3-2 | 3-2 | 2024 FIFA Series |
| 6 | 17 November 2024 | Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium, Tizi Ouzou, Algeria | Liberia | 1-1 | 5-1 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
4. Statistics
Aïssa Mandi's career statistics provide a comprehensive overview of his performance at both club and international levels.
4.1. Club statistics
The following table details Aïssa Mandi's club appearances and goals across various competitions.
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Reims | 2009-10 | Championnat National | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2010-11 | Ligue 2 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 10 | 0 | |||
| 2011-12 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 27 | 1 | ||||
| 2012-13 | Ligue 1 | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 30 | 2 | |||
| 2013-14 | 33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 36 | 0 | ||||
| 2014-15 | 32 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 33 | 6 | ||||
| 2015-16 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 33 | 5 | ||||
| Total | 161 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 170 | 14 | ||
| Real Betis | 2016-17 | La Liga | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | 28 | 2 | |||
| 2017-18 | 34 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 35 | 1 | |||||
| 2018-19 | 35 | 1 | 7 | 1 | - | 6 | 0 | - | 48 | 2 | ||||
| 2019-20 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | 30 | 0 | |||||
| 2020-21 | 28 | 3 | 4 | 0 | - | - | - | 32 | 3 | |||||
| Total | 152 | 7 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 173 | 8 | ||
| Villarreal | 2021-22 | La Liga | 17 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 22 | 2 | |
| 2022-23 | 21 | 0 | 4 | 0 | - | 10 | 0 | - | 35 | 0 | ||||
| 2023-24 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 5 | 0 | - | 22 | 1 | ||||
| Total | 54 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 79 | 3 | ||
| Lille | 2024-25 | Ligue 1 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 6 | 0 | - | 24 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 384 | 23 | 27 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 446 | 25 | ||
4.2. International statistics
The table below summarizes Aïssa Mandi's appearances and goals for the Algerian national team.
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 2014 | 10 | 0 |
| 2015 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2017 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2018 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 13 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 12 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 15 | 2 | |
| Total | 103 | 6 | |
5. Honors and achievements
Aïssa Mandi has accumulated several team and individual honors throughout his distinguished career.
5.1. Team honors
Algeria
- Africa Cup of Nations: 2019
5.2. Individual awards
- Africa Cup of Nations 2015 Best XI