1. Personal life and background
Djamel Abdoun was born on 14 February 1986, in Montreuil, a commune located in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. His parents are of Algerian descent, originally hailing from the villages of Tifrit and Biziou in the commune of Akbou, Béjaïa, within the Petite Kabylie region of Algeria. Abdoun stands at 71 in (180 cm) tall and weighs 143 lb (65 kg). He is right-footed.
2. Youth career
Abdoun began his football development in France, joining the youth academy of Paris Saint-Germain in 2002. After one season, he was released by the club. In 2003, he moved to AC Ajaccio, where he continued his youth career before making his professional debut.
3. Club career
Djamel Abdoun's professional career saw him play for several clubs across France, England, Greece, and Belgium.
3.1. AC Ajaccio
Abdoun started his professional career with AC Ajaccio, where he had been part of their youth setup since 2003. He remained with the club for four seasons, making 12 appearances and scoring two goals during his tenure.
3.2. Manchester City (loan)
In January 2007, Abdoun was loaned to English Premier League club Manchester City. During his brief spell, he made a single appearance for the club, coming on as a substitute in a 3 1 FA Cup victory against Southampton on 28 January 2007. Manchester City opted not to make his move permanent, and he returned to Ajaccio at the end of the season.
3.3. CS Sedan (loan)
Following his loan spell at Manchester City, Abdoun was loaned to Ligue 2 club Sedan for the 2007-08 season. He played a more prominent role here, making 33 appearances and scoring five goals.
3.4. FC Nantes
Abdoun joined FC Nantes in 2008. He spent two full seasons with the club, making 50 appearances and scoring three goals. His time at Nantes included playing in both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2.
3.5. Kavala
On 24 August 2010, Abdoun moved to Greece, signing a three-year contract with Kavala in the Super League Greece. In his first season with Kavala, Abdoun emerged as a key player, finishing as the top assist provider in the Greek Super League with eight assists in 26 matches. He also scored three goals and was recognized as the second-best player in the league, trailing only Ariel Ibagaza of Olympiacos. His strong performances led to speculation about a move to Panathinaikos, but he eventually joined Olympiacos.
3.6. Olympiacos
On 31 August 2011, Abdoun officially signed a three-year contract with Olympiacos on a free transfer, following Kavala's relegation to the fourth division. He quickly made an impact, scoring his first goal against PAOK and a second against Panathinaikos. In his debut season, he played 29 games and scored four goals, contributing to Olympiacos winning the 2011-12 Superleague Greece title and the 2012 Greek Cup, securing a domestic double.
In the 2012-13 season, Abdoun continued his strong form. He scored his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 2 1 home loss against German side Schalke 04. He also scored multiple goals from the penalty spot against teams like Aris Thessaloniki, AEK Athens, and Platanias. He found the net against PAS Giannina in a 2 0 home win, assisted by Ariel Ibagaza, and later scored against Atromitos. On 27 February, he scored a free-kick goal in a 1 0 away victory over PAS Giannina in a Greek Cup match. His final goals for the season came against AEK Athens and Platanias. Overall, he made 50 appearances and scored nine goals for Olympiacos, winning another Super League Greece title and Greek Cup in the 2012-13 season. During his time at Olympiacos, he made six appearances and scored one goal in the UEFA Champions League, and three appearances in the UEFA Europa League.
3.7. Nottingham Forest
On 25 July 2013, Abdoun signed a three-year contract with English Football League Championship club Nottingham Forest. He scored his first goal for the club in an FA Cup Third Round tie against West Ham United. The goal, a chipped penalty, came after a challenge on Jamie Paterson, and Abdoun insisted on taking the spot-kick himself, contributing to Forest's 5 0 victory.
However, his time at Forest was short-lived. On 10 July 2014, he was informed he was free to find a new club as he "had no future at Forest." He did not play for the club again and his contract was mutually terminated on 30 July 2015.
3.8. Lokeren (loan)
While still contracted to Nottingham Forest, Abdoun was loaned to Belgian club Lokeren for a period in 2015. He made four appearances for the club during this loan spell.
3.9. Veria
On 20 July 2015, Abdoun was approached by Greek Super League side Veria. Initially, he turned down an offer of around 250.00 K EUR as it did not meet his financial expectations. However, a week later, Veria returned with an improved offer, and Abdoun reached an oral agreement with the club on 28 July 2015. He officially signed a two-year contract on 8 August 2015.
Abdoun debuted for Veria on 23 August 2015, assisting Veria's equalizing goal in a 1 1 home draw against PAS Giannina with a free-kick. On 29 August 2015, he scored his first two goals for Veria in an away match against Panthrakikos, one from open play after a long ball from Thomas Nazlidis and the second from a penalty kick. He was named man of the match for his performance. On 4 October 2015, he scored another penalty, securing a 1 0 away victory against Kalloni. He was released on a free transfer from Veria on 31 August 2016.
4. International career
Djamel Abdoun had a dual international career, representing France at youth levels before switching allegiance to Algeria for his senior career.
4.1. France youth teams
Abdoun represented France at the Under-17, Under-18, Under-19, and Under-20 levels. With the French Under-18 squad, he notably won the 2007 Toulon Tournament. His most significant achievement with the youth teams came as part of the French Under-19 team that won the 2005 UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship. He made 4 appearances for the U-18 team, 13 appearances and 2 goals for the U-19 team, and 8 appearances for the U-20 team.
4.2. Algeria national team
As a dual national of French and Algerian descent, Abdoun was eligible to represent Algeria. In September 2009, he was selected for the first time by head coach Rabah Saâdane to join the Algerian national team, taking advantage of a new FIFA ruling that allowed players over the age of 21 to change their national allegiance.
Abdoun made his debut for Algeria on 18 January 2010, coming on as a substitute in the 88th minute of a 0 0 group stage match against Angola at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. He was subsequently named as part of the Algeria squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He earned a total of 11 international caps for Algeria, scoring no goals.
5. Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Ajaccio | 2003-04 | Ligue 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |
| 2004-05 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | |||
| 2005-06 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 9 | 2 | |||
| 2006-07 | Ligue 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 0 | ||
| Total | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 14 | 2 | |||
| Manchester City (loan) | 2006-07 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | |
| Sedan | 2007-08 | Ligue 2 | 33 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | 39 | 7 | |
| Nantes | 2008-09 | Ligue 1 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 23 | 1 | |
| 2009-10 | Ligue 2 | 27 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 28 | 2 | ||
| 2010-11 | Ligue 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 50 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | 52 | 3 | |||
| Kavala | 2010-11 | Super League Greece | 26 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 28 | 3 | ||
| Olympiacos | 2011-12 | Super League Greece | 23 | 2 | 6 | 2 | - | 6 | 0 | 35 | 4 | |
| 2012-13 | 27 | 7 | 4 | 3 | - | 7 | 1 | 38 | 11 | |||
| Total | 50 | 9 | 10 | 5 | - | 13 | 1 | 73 | 15 | |||
| Nottingham Forest | 2013-14 | Championship | 22 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 27 | 2 | |
| 2014-15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 22 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 27 | 2 | |||
| Lokeren (loan) | 2014-15 | Belgian Pro League | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Veria | 2015-16 | Super League Greece | 15 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 |
| Career total | 210 | 26 | 26 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 252 | 35 | ||
6. Honours
Djamel Abdoun achieved several team and individual honors throughout his career.
Olympiacos
- Super League Greece: 2011-12, 2012-13
- Greek Cup: 2011-12, 2012-13
France
- UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship: 2005
- Toulon Tournament: 2007
Individual
- Super League Greece Player of the Season: 2012-13
- Super League Greece top assist provider: 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13
- Greek Cup top assist provider: 2011-12