Nabil Bentaleb

Nabil Bentaleb (; born 24 November 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder. Born in France, he plays for the Algeria national team.

Bentaleb began his senior career with Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 and later played for Schalke 04, Newcastle United and Angers before joining his hometown club Lille in 2023. He made his senior international debut in March 2014 and represented Algeria at the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and 2026 and the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015, 2017 and 2023.

Club career Early career Born in Lille to Algerian parents from Mostaganem, Bentaleb started his career at the academy of local side, Lille. However, he was released from the academy at the age of 15 and then went to Belgium to play for Mouscron. His performance that season earned him a new four-year contract at Tottenham Hotspur until 2018. He made his professional debut in that match when he came on as a substitute in the 50th minute for Mousa Dembélé, Tottenham won the match 3–2. Bentaleb scored his first goal for the club on 17 December 2014 in the fifth round of the Football League Cup against Newcastle United.

On 1 March 2015, Bentaleb started for Tottenham in the 2015 Football League Cup Final, a match they lost 2–0 to Chelsea. On 6 July, he signed a new five-year contract.

Schalke 04 On 25 August 2016, Bentaleb joined Bundesliga side Schalke 04 on a season-long loan deal. He went on to make his debut in an away match against Frankfurt two days later, which Schalke lost 1–0. His first start came the next weekend against Bayern, after which Bentaleb became a fixture in new manager Markus Weinzierl's starting eleven. Enduring Schalke's worst ever start to a Bundesliga with five consecutive losses, Bentaleb confirmed his desire to remain in Gelsenkirchen, saying that "at Schalke they believe in me", while also appreciating the fans' ability to stick beside a team going through a rough patch in comparison to English fans.

On 15 October, Bentaleb came through with his first goal for Schalke, a strike from distance that put them temporarily ahead of Augsburg in a 1–1 draw. This was the first goal reviewed by goal-line technology in the Bundesliga to be successfully allowed. In Schalke's next match, he scored twice against Mainz in a 3–0 victory, becoming the first Algerian to achieve the feat in Bundesliga play. Immediately after the match, a report emerged claiming that Bentaleb had already signed a four-year contract to remain with Schalke, which would go in effect after a permanent buying option in his loan deal was picked up, putting his future at White Hart Lane in question.

On 24 February 2017, Tottenham Hotspur announced that they had reached an agreement with Schalke 04 for Bentaleb's transfer to be made permanent at the end of the loan period.

In March 2019 he was demoted to Schalke's under-23 team, "due to disciplinary reasons". He returned to the first-team in April 2019, before being dropped to the second team again later that month.

Newcastle United On 21 January 2020, Bentaleb signed on loan with Newcastle United for the remainder of the 2019–20 Premier League season with the club having the option to make the deal permanent. Bentaleb made his debut in a 0–0 draw against Oxford United in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Bentaleb returned to Schalke at the end of the season after not impressing on loan.

Angers On 6 January 2022, Bentaleb signed for French club Angers who play in Ligue 1, on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

Lille On 28 August 2023, Bentaleb joined his hometown team Lille OSC on a three-year deal. In his first season at the French club, Bentaleb amassed 26 appearances as Lille finished fourth. However, after the season, in June 2024, Bentaleb suffered a cardiac arrest and was told his career might be over.

After over seven months out of action, Bentaleb was cleared to return to competitive football by the French Football Federation on 12 February 2025. He made his return to football on 16 February 2025, coming on as a 76th-minute substitute against Rennes. Bentaleb went on to score four minutes into his return, and celebrated by running to the Lille bench, where he was mobbed by his team-mates and coaching staff. Speaking about the goal, Lille boss Bruno Genesio proclaimed that the story behind it was "worthy of a film".

International career On 14 November 2012, Bentaleb made his debut for France U19 in a friendly match, coming on as a half-time substitute in a 3–0 loss to Germany U19.

Despite having represented France, he was courted by the Algerian Football Federation, and accepted its offer. In January 2014, Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood suggested that the English Football Association were also interested. However, Bentaleb would not meet the requirements to play for England under the unique rules set out in the Home Nations agreement. The Home Nations agreement requires that players engage in a minimum of five years of education before the age of 18 within the territory of the relevant association and does not offer national team eligibility through residency.

On 15 February 2014, Bentaleb pledged his international future to Algeria. A few days later, he was called up by Algeria coach Vahid Halilhodžić for a friendly match against Slovenia. He made his debut on 5 March, playing the full game in a 2–0 win over Slovenia. He scored his first goal for his country against Romania on 4 June 2014 at the Stade de Genève in Switzerland.

In June 2014, Bentaleb was named in Algeria's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He started in midfield for the team's opening match of the tournament – a 2–1 defeat by Belgium in Belo Horizonte on 17 June. He also played the full ninety minutes for Les Fennecs in their two other Group H matches; a 4–2 victory over South Korea and a 1–1 draw with Russia. However, he was an unused substitute during the team's 2–1 defeat to Germany in the round of 16. On 15 December 2014, Bentaleb was named in Algeria's 23-man squad for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial Guinea.

In December 2023, he was named in Algeria's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. On 31 May 2026, he was called up for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Career statistics Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals

2013–14 Premier League

2014–15 Premier League

2019–20 Bundesliga

2020–21 Bundesliga

Newcastle United (loan) 2019–20 Premier League

2021–22 Ligue 1

2022–23 Ligue 1

2023–24 Ligue 1

2024–25 Ligue 1

2025–26 Ligue 1

Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bentaleb goal.

Honours Tottenham Hotspur Football League Cup runner-up: 2014–15

Individual Bundesliga Goal of the Season: 2016–17 vs FC Augsburg on Matchday 7