Nabil Bentaleb

Nabil Bentaleb is a left-footed midfielder born in Lille, France, who represents Algeria. After leaving Lille’s academy at 15, he developed with Mouscron and USL Dunkerque before joining Tottenham Hotspur’s academy in January 2012. Promoted by Tim Sherwood, Bentaleb made his Premier League debut against Southampton in December 2013 and soon established himself in Tottenham’s midfield. He started the 2015 League Cup final, but after an injury-hit campaign and a difficult spell outside the first team, he moved to Schalke 04 in 2016. At Schalke, Bentaleb added attacking influence, scoring twice in one Bundesliga match and becoming the first Algerian to do so. A loan at Newcastle United followed in 2020, before he returned to France with Angers and later Lille. An Algeria international, Bentaleb brings experience from the 2014 World Cup and multiple Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, while his left-footed passing and physical presence support a deeper midfield role.