Carl Medjani

Carl Medjani (Arabic: كارل مجاني; born 15 May 1985) is a professional footballer who plays as a central defender or defensive midfielder. He spent most of his career in France, his country of birth, while representing the Algeria national team at international level.

Carl Medjani
كارل مجاني
Medjani playing for Algeria in 2014
Personal information
Full name Carl Medjani[1]
Date of birth (1985-05-15) 15 May 1985
Place of birth Lyon, France
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Position(s) Centre back, Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Olympique Salaise Rhodia
Youth career
1992–1994 Olympique Rhodia
1994–1998 ES Roussillonnaises
1998–2003 Saint-Étienne
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2003–2006 Liverpool 0 (0)
2004–2005 → Lorient (loan) 25 (0)
2005–2006 → Metz (loan) 23 (0)
2006–2007 Lorient 9 (0)
2007–2013 Ajaccio 184 (8)
2013–2014 Monaco 15 (0)
2013 → Olympiacos (loan) 4 (0)
2014 → Valenciennes (loan) 16 (1)
2014–2016 Trabzonspor 38 (8)
2016 Levante 14 (1)
2016–2017 Leganés 8 (0)
2017 Trabzonspor 13 (0)
2017–2019 Sivasspor 37 (0)
2019–2020 Ohod 15 (3)
2020 FC Salaise
2022– Olympique Salaise Rhodia
Total 401 (21)
International career
2001–2002 France U16 16 (0)
2002–2003 France U17 10 (0)
2003–2004 France U18 8 (0)
2004–2006 France U21 5 (1)
2010–2018 Algeria 62 (4)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Liverpool

After spending his youth development years at Saint-Étienne he was signed by Liverpool's manager Gérard Houllier in August 2003.[2] Liverpool beat off stiff competition from Premiership rivals Arsenal, Manchester United and German giants Bayern Munich to secure his services.[3] In an interview with L'Équipe, Medjani revealed he left Saint-Étienne because he was willing to stay if given an opportunity with the first team but his request was turned down by Manager Frédéric Antonetti.[4]

Medjani then struggled to break in Liverpool first team so he was sent on loan to Lorient for the whole 2004–05 season by new Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez, where he made 25 appearances.[5] Despite impressing in the Toulon under-20 tournament in summer 2005,[6] Benítez deemed it necessary for him to gain more experience and so he spent 2005–06 on loan at Metz.[7][8]

Lorient

At the start of the 2006–07 season, he rejoined Lorient, this time on a permanent basis.[9]

Ajaccio

In the 2007–08 season, Medjani moved down to Ligue 2 joining Ajaccio for the remainder of the season.[10]

The 2008–09 season earned Medjani a permanent move with the club on a three-year deal.[11] He soon made an immediate impact when he scored his first goal in the second round of Coupe de la Ligue during Ajaccio's 4–2 loss against Montpellier. On 20 February 2009, Medjani came on as a substitute in the second half and 18 minutes into the game, he was sent off, along with Brahim Ferradj in the same minute, as Ajaccio drew 1–1 with Brest.[12] Medjani scored his first league goal of the season during Ajaccio's 3–1 defeat to Strasbourg.[13]

Following the 2009–10 season and the World Cup, Medjani was linked with Ligue 2 side Nantes.[14] Ajaccio finished as runners-up in Ligue 2 resulting in their promotion to Ligue 1. Medjani signed a two-year contract extension until 2013.[15] In the 2011–12 season, Medjani continued to be in the first team, either playing in centre back and defensive midfield. Medjani scored his first goal in a 3–1 loss against Paris Saint-Germain on 16 October 2011.[16] On 10 December 2012, Medjani made a mistake in the final minutes, allowing Daniel Niculae to score in a 2–2 draw against Nancy, in a match which could have ended Ajaccio thirteen games without winning.[17] In April, he scored his second goal of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Saint-Étienne.[18]

Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Medjani expressed his desire to leave the club.[19] In December, Medjani started to wear the captain's armband.[20]

Monaco

In January 2013, just prior to the closing of the transfer window, Medjani joined Monaco on a three and a half year contract from Ajaccio.[21]

Following Monaco promotion, Medjani was told by Manager Claudio Ranieri that his first team appearances would be limited following the club's spending spree.[22]

Loan spells

In July 2013, Medjani was sent out on loan to Olympiacos from Monaco until 1 January 2014, with the option of a permanent move.[23] After six months with few appearances at Olympiacos, he returned to his parent club.[24]

Upon his return to France, Monaco then loaned him out to Valenciennes till the end of 2013–14 season.[25]

Following his loan spell at Valenciennes, his time at Monaco came to an end despite having two years of his contract left.[26]

Trabzonspor

After leaving Monaco, Medjani was linked with a move to Trabzonspor and Cagliari Calcio[27] before joining Trabzonspor on a three-year contract.[28] He scored his first goal for the club in the play-off round of the Europa League as Trabzonspor beat Rostov 2–0 in the first leg.[29]

Levante and Leganés

On 30 January 2016, La Liga side Levante UD have signed Medjani until the end of the season, with an option to extend the contract for another season.[30] On 25 July, after suffering relegation, he signed a one-year contract with CD Leganés also in the main category.[31]

On 9 January 2017, Medjani rescinded with Lega[32] and signed with Trabzonspor again.[33]

International career
Medjani playing for Algeria against Belgium at the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Medjani has an Algerian father and a French mother, and was eligible for both national teams. Medjani captained the France U21 team in the Toulon Tournament of 2006.[6][34]

However, being of Algerian origin, he made the switch to represent Algeria in international competitions[34] and was called up by Rabah Saâdane to the Algeria national team's preliminary squad for the 2010 FIFA World Cup,[35] before going on to make the full tournament squad.[36]

On 10 December 2012, it was announced that Medjani was selected in the 40-man provisional squad for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations.[37] Medjani survived the cuts, firstly to the 24-man list announced on 18 December 2012,[38] and then to the final squad of twenty-three.[39]

Having won 25 caps by this point, Medjani made his second FIFA World Cup squad by winning a place in the Algerian cohort for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[40] A year and ten appearances later, Medjani joined the Algeria team at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.[41]

Personal life

While growing up, Medjani revered boxer Muhammad Ali.[42]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[43][44]
Club Season League Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Lorient (loan) 2004–05 Ligue 2 250000000250
Metz 2005–06 Ligue 1 230200000250
Lorient 2006–07 Ligue 1 90100000100
Ajaccio 2007–08 Ligue 2 351001000361
2008–09 Ligue 2 331301100372
2009–10 Ligue 2 311201000341
2010–11 Ligue 2 312104000362
2011–12 Ligue 1 352200000372
2012–13 Ligue 1 191001000201
Total 18487081001999
Monaco 2012–13 Ligue 2 150000000150
Olympiacos (loan) 2013–14 Superleague Greece 4020—2[lower-alpha 1]080
Valenciennes (loan) 2013–14 Ligue 1 161000000161
Trabzonspor 2014–15 Süper Lig 30730—9[lower-alpha 2]1428
2015–16 Süper Lig 8100—4[lower-alpha 2]0121
Total 3883000131549
Levante 2015–16 La Liga 14100—00141
Leganés 2016–17 La Liga 8020—00100
Trabzonspor 2016–17 Süper Lig 13020—00150
2017–18 Süper Lig 0000—0000
Total 130200000150
Sivasspor 2017–18 Süper Lig 22010—00230
2018–19 Süper Lig 15010—00160
Total 370200000390
Ohod 2018–19 Saudi Professional League 15300—00153
Career total 401212108115144523
  1. Appearances in UEFA Champions League
  2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International goals
Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Medjani goal.[45]
List of international goals scored by Carl Medjani
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
112 October 2013Stade du 4 Août, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso Burkina Faso2–22–32014 FIFA World Cup qualification
210 September 2014Stade Mustapha Tchaker, Blida, Algeria Mali1–01–02015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
317 November 2015Stade Mustapha Tchaker, Blida, Algeria Tanzania6–07–02018 FIFA World Cup qualification
422 March 20185 July 1962 Stadium, Algiers, Algeria Tanzania3–14–1Friendly

References
  1. "2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil: List of players: Algeria" (PDF). FIFA. 14 July 2014. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 January 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2019.
  2. "Reds sign French starlet". Sky. 8 August 2003. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  3. "Reds pip Bayern, Arsenal, Juve & Utd to 5th summer signing". Liverpool Official Website. 8 August 2003. Archived from the original on 9 February 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  4. "Medjani has grown" [Medjani a bien grandi] (in French). L'Equipe. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  5. "Medjani leaves on loan". Liverpool Official Website. 6 August 2004. Archived from the original on 4 July 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  6. "Medjani leads France to the final". Liverpool Official Website. 9 June 2005. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  7. "Medjani wants Rafa chat". Sky Sports. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  8. "Defender leaves on loan". Liverpool Official Website. 8 August 2005. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  9. "FRENCH DEFENDER LEAVES ANFIELD". Liverpool Official Website. 12 August 2006. Archived from the original on 15 August 2006. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  10. "News from Tuesday" [Foot Transferts Les infos de mardi] (in French). L'Equipe. 18 July 2007. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  11. "Football (transfer) – Carl Medjani signed for three years in AC Ajaccio" [Football (transfert) – Carl Medjani a signé pour trois ans à l'AC Ajaccio] (in French). ALTA Frequenza. 26 June 2008. Archived from the original on 6 March 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  12. "Sessegnon takes 3 matches" [Sessegnon prend 3 matches] (in French). Le Figaro. 26 February 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  13. "Strasbourg and Metz before" [Foot Ligue 2 30e j. Strasbourg et Metz devant] (in French). L'Equipe. 5 April 2009. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  14. "Medjani "interested in Nantes"" [Medjani intéressé par Nantes] (in French). L'Equipe. 18 July 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  15. "Medjani remains to Ajaccio" [Medjani reste à Ajaccio] (in French). Le Figaro. 17 June 2011. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  16. "Gameiro: "Finishing top scorer"" [Gameiro : Finir meilleur buteur] (in French). L'Equipe. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  17. "Carl Medjani disappointed" [Carl Medjani déçu] (in French). Le Figaro. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  18. "Ajaccio: Medjani followed by Montpellier Lorient and other ..." [Ajaccio : Medjani suivi par Montpellier, Lorient et d’autres..] (in French). Foot Mercato. 9 April 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  19. "Ajaccio: Medjani wants to leave!" [Ajaccio : Medjani veut partir!] (in French). Foot Mercato. 24 June 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  20. "Medjani and the captaincy" [Medjani et le capitanat] (in French). Le Figaro. 5 December 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  21. Toufik O. (30 January 2013). "Carl Medjani à l'AS Monaco, Orsoni confirme" (in French). DZFoot. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  22. "Medjani: "Enough armed"" [Foot Ligue des Champions Olympiakos Medjani : Suffisamment armés] (in French). L'Equipe. 17 September 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  23. "Medjani Olympiakos (official)" [Foot Transferts Medjani à l'Olympiakos (off.)] (in French). L'Equipe. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  24. "Transfers: Carl Medjani considering a departure from Olympiacos" [Transferts : Carl Medjani envisage un départ de l'Olympiacos] (in French). DZFoot. 26 November 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  25. "Transfers: Carl Medjani officially loaned to Valenciennes" [Transferts: Carl Medjani officiellement prêté à Valenciennes] (in French). DZFoot. 3 January 2014. Archived from the original on 6 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  26. "Medjani (Monaco) est libre" (in French). L'Equipe. 31 July 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  27. "Cagliari and Trabzonspor in negotiations for Carl Medjani". Get Football News France. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  28. "Carl Medjani and Kevin Constant join Trabzonspor". BBC Sport. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  29. "Trabzonspor 2 – 0 Rostov: Cardozo scores on his debut". Turkish Football.com. 21 August 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  30. "Algeria defender Carl Medjani joins Levante". BBC Sport. 30 January 2016. Retrieved 26 February 2016.
  31. "Medjani apuntala con experiencia y jerarquía la defensa del Leganés" [Medjani bolsters with experience and hierarchy the defence of Leganés] (in Spanish). CD Leganés. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  32. "El Leganés y Carl Medjani separan sus caminos" [Leganés and Carl Medjani split their ways] (in Spanish). CD Leganés. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  33. "Medjani için imza töreni düzenlendi" (in Turkish). Trabzonspor Official Website. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  34. "Carl Medjani". Sky Sports. 2 June 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  35. "National Team: The 25 players who will go to Switzerland" [Equipe Nationale : Les 25 joueurs qui iront en Suisse] (in French). DZFoot. 5 May 2010. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  36. "FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 List of Players" (PDF). fifa.com. Federation of International Football Associations. 4 June 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  37. "CAN 2013 : Les 40 présélectionnés" (in French). dzfoot.com. 10 December 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  38. "CAN 2013 : Les 23+1 convoqués pour la phase finale" (in French). dzfoot.com. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  39. "CAN 2013 : Djamel Abdoun blessé, déclare forfait" (in French). dzfoot.com. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  40. "Coupe du monde, Brésil 2014: La liste des 23 algériens retenus". faf.dz. 2 June 2014. Archived from the original on 4 June 2014.
  41. "CAN 2015 : La liste des 23 joueurs retenus" (in French). faf.dz. 16 December 2014. Archived from the original on 16 December 2014.
  42. "CARL MEDJANI, SELF-PORTRAIT". AS Monaco Official Website. 9 April 2013. Archived from the original on 7 July 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2014.
  43. Carl Medjani at Soccerway. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  44. "Carl Medjani » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  45. "C. Medjani". Soccerway. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
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