Ismaël Bennacer
Ismaël Bennacer (French pronunciation: [ismaɛl benasɛʁ]; Arabic: إسماعيل بن ناصر, romanized: ʼIsmāʻīl bin Nāṣir; Arabic pronunciation: [ʔismaːʕiːl bin naːsˁir]; born 1 December 1997) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club AC Milan. Born in France, he plays for the Algeria national team.
| Bennacer with AC Milan in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ismaël Bennacer[1] | ||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 1 December 1997[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Arles, France | ||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] | ||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
Current team | AC Milan | ||||||||||||||||
| Number | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2015 | Arles | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Arsenal | ||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Arles B | 16 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Arles | 6 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2017 | Arsenal | 0 | (0) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | → Tours (loan) | 16 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Empoli | 76 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
| 2019– | AC Milan | 111 | (5) | ||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | France U18 | 4 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | France U19 | 7 | (1) | ||||||||||||||
| 2016– | Algeria | 46 | (2) | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15:21, 6 May 2023 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:06, 27 March 2023 (UTC) | |||||||||||||||||
At club level, Bennacer has represented teams in France, England and Italy throughout his career. At international level, he made his senior debut for Algeria in 2016, and has since represented his nation at three editions of the Africa Cup of Nations; he was a member of the team that won the 2019 edition, and was named the player of the tournament.
Club career Edit
Early career Edit
After starting his career with French club Arles,[3] Bennacer signed for Premier League side Arsenal in July 2015.[4] He made his senior Arsenal debut in the League Cup fourth round away to Sheffield Wednesday on 27 October 2015, replacing Theo Walcott after 19 minutes, after the latter had already replaced the injured Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in an eventual 3–0 loss.[5]
On 31 January 2017, it was announced that Bennacer would join Ligue 2 side Tours on loan for the remainder of the 2016–17 season.[6] He scored his first goal for Tours on 14 April 2017 against Sochaux from a free kick.[7]
On 21 August 2017, Bennacer joined Italian club Empoli.[8] In the 2017–18 Serie B season, Bennacer made 39 appearances and scored 2 goals as Empoli won the Serie B title, earning promotion to Serie A.[9][10] Despite Empoli's relegation the following season, Bennacer's performances confirmed his status as one of the most promising young midfielders in Europe.[10]
AC Milan Edit
2019–20 season Edit
On 4 August 2019, AC Milan announced they had signed Bennacer from Empoli for a reported transfer fee of €16 million plus bonuses. He underwent his medical on 23 July and signed a five-year contract, with a reported salary of €1.5 million per season.[11] He made his club debut on 25 August, coming on as a second–half substitute in a 1–0 away defeat to Udinese in Serie A;[12][13] his home and full–debut came on 31 August, in a 1–0 victory over Brescia.[13][14] On 18 July 2020, he scored his first goal for the club and in the Italian top flight in a 5–1 home win over Bologna in Serie A.[15]
2020–21 season Edit
Bennacer played 30 matches in all competitions,[16] helping Milan to finish second in league table.
2021–22 season Edit
Already a regular on Pioli's side, Bennacer form generated much praise from Italian pundits, showing dominating performance against the likes of Inter and Napoli.[17][18]
On 23 October 2021, as Milan was drawing 2–2 against Bologna, Bennacer scored the third goal in an eventual 4–2 win.[19] On 19 March 2022, Bennacer scored a screamer from outside the box against Cagliari, helping his team to win 1–0 and stay on the top of league table.[20] For the first time in a single Serie A season, Bennacer has scored more than once.[21] Bennacer won the league title with AC Milan on 22 May 2022 with a 0-3 win at U.S. Sassuolo Calcio. It was his first trophy with the club.
2022–23 season Edit
On 12 January 2023, Bennacer extended his contract until 30 June 2027.[22] Bennacer scored his first goal in the UEFA Champions League on 12 April 2023, scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win over Napoli in the first leg of the quarter finals.[23] In May 2023, Bennacer sustained an injury to his right knee while in training and had a surgery, which forced him to miss the final five games of the season as well as ruled him out of the first half of the upcoming season.[24]
International career Edit
Although he had previously represented France at youth level, on 31 July 2016, the Algerian Football Federation announced that Bennacer had opted to switch his international allegiance and represent Algeria internationally.[25] He debuted for the Algeria national team in a 2017 Africa Cup of Nations Qualifier, a 6–0 win over Lesotho.[26] Bennacer was called up on 11 January 2017 to Algeria's squad for the African Cup of Nations of 2017[27] to replace Saphir Taïder, who suffered an injury in training.[28]
At the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, Bennacer helped Algeria to their first title in 29 years, finishing the competition as the joint-top assist provider, alongside Franck Kessié, with three assists, including one for Baghdad Bounedjah's match-winning goal against Senegal in the final on 19 July.[29][30][31] He was later voted both the "Best Young Player" and the "Best Player" of the tournament.[32][33][34]
Style of play Edit
A dynamic, tenacious, energetic, diminutive, and versatile left-footed player, who is regarded as a highly promising prospect in modern football, Bennacer is capable of playing in several midfield roles, and has been used as a deep-lying playmaker in a holding role in midfield, as an attacking midfielder, or as a central offensive-minded midfielder, known as the mezzala role in Italian football. His main characteristics are his speed, vision, intelligence, composure, dribbling skills, passing, and technique; he is also known for his ability to transition from defence into attack.[35][36][37]
Personal life Edit
Bennacer was born in Arles, France, to a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother. He is a muslim. [38]
Career statistics Edit
Club Edit
- As of match played 10 May 2023[9]
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Arles-Avignon II | 2013–14 | CFA 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | ||||
| 2014–15 | 14 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 0 | ||||||
| Total | 16 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 16 | 0 | ||||||
| Arles-Avignon | 2014–15 | Ligue 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 7 | 1 | ||
| Arsenal | 2015–16 | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |
| Tours (loan) | 2016–17 | Ligue 2 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 1 | ||
| Empoli | 2017–18 | Serie B | 39 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 39 | 2 | |||
| 2018–19 | Serie A | 37 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | 38 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 76 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 77 | 2 | |||
| Milan | 2019–20 | Serie A | 31 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | 35 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 9[a] | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 31 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | 6[b] | 0 | — | 40 | 2 | ||||
| 2022–23 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 0 | — | 10[b] | 1 | 1[c] | 0 | 40 | 3 | |||
| Total | 111 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 145 | 6 | ||
| Career total | 225 | 8 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 262 | 10 | ||
- ^ Appearances in UEFA Europa League
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Champions League
- ^ Appearance in Supercoppa Italiana
International Edit
- As of match played 27 March 2023[39]
| Algeria | ||
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | 3 | 0 |
| 2019 | 15 | 0 |
| 2020 | 3 | 1 |
| 2021 | 7 | 1 |
| 2022 | 12 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 46 | 2 |
- Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first.
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 13 October 2020 | Cars Jeans Stadion, The Hague, Netherlands | Mexico | 1–1 | 2–2 | Friendly |
| 2. | 12 October 2021 | Stade Général Seyni Kountché, Niamey, Niger | Niger | 3–0 | 4–0 | 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Honours Edit
Empoli[9]
AC Milan
Algeria
Individual
- Best Player of the Africa Cup of Nations: 2019[32]
- CAF Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2019[42]
References Edit
- ^ "Algeria" (PDF). Confederation of African Football. 15 June 2019. p. 1. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Ismael Bennacer: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ "ISMAËL BENNACER IS A NEW AC MILAN PLAYER". A.C. Milan. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ Sanderson, Jamie (29 July 2015). "Arsenal 'complete transfer of AC Arles-Avignon star Ismael Bennacer'". Metro. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ "Sheffield Wednesday 3-0 Arsenal". BBC Sport. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
- ^ "Ismael Bennacer joins Tours on loan". www.arsenal.com. Arsenal Media Group. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
- ^ "Tours en route pour le maintien (3-1 contre Sochaux), Orléans replonge à Nîmes (0-2)". Magcentre.fr (in French).
- ^ "Arsenal youngster Bennacer joins Empoli". Yahoo.com. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ a b c Ismaël Bennacer at Soccerway. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
- ^ a b Milan, A. C. "FOCUS: ISMAËL BENNACER". AC Milan. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
- ^ Football Italia Staff (4 August 2019). "Official: Bennacer Joins Milan". Football Italia. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ "Udinese vs. AC Milan - Football Match Summary - August 25, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. 25 August 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ a b Triolo, Daniele (1 September 2019). "Bennacer impressiona: il Milan ha trovato un faro a centrocampo" (in Italian). Pianeta Milan. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ "AC Milan vs. Brescia - Football Match Summary - August 31, 2019 - ESPN". ESPN.com. 31 August 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ "Match report AC Milan 5-1 Bologna, Serie A 2019/2020". AC Milan. 18 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
- ^ "I.Bennacer". SOCCERWAY. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ Fisher, Oliver. "MN: Bennacer dominates Inter midfield in the derby". sempremilan. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ Moller, Isak. "Ambrosini praises Bennacer amid recent success". sempremilan. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Empoli 2-4 AC Milan, Serie A 2021/2022: the match report". ACMILAN. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ "Cagliari 0-1 ACMILANL: Ismael Benncer restores three-point lead". BBC. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
- ^ "CAGLIARI V AC MILAN: ALL OF THE NUMBERS FROM THE GAME". acmilan. Retrieved 21 March 2022.
- ^ "Ismaël Bennacer renews his contract with AC Milan: the official statement". AC Milan. 14 March 2023. Retrieved 14 March 2023.
- ^ Media, P. A. (12 April 2023). "Ismaël Bennacer earns hard-fought win for Milan over 10-man Napoli". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
- ^ "Milan's Bennacer out for six months after knee surgery". Reuters. 16 May 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Toufik O. (31 July 2016). "Bennacer (Arsenal) choisit officiellement l'Algérie" (in French). DZfoot. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
- ^ "CAN 2017 : Algérie 6-0 Lesotho" (in French). DZfoot. 4 September 2016.
- ^ "Arsenal midfielder Ismael Bennacer handed shock call up to Algeria's Africa Cup of Nations squad". Metro.co.uk. 11 January 2017.
- ^ M-A-D (11 January 2017). "CAN 2017 : Ismael Bennacer remplace Taider" (in French). DZfoot. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
- ^ "Algeria celebrate second Afcon title after beating Senegal". BBC Sport. 19 July 2019.
- ^ "AC Milan snap up Algeria's Africa Cup star Bennacer". The Score. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ Otieno, Imran (20 July 2019). . futaa.com. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ a b @CAF_Online (19 July 2019). "Pulling the strings from midfield like a boss Ismaël Bennacer is the #TotalAFCON2019 best player" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Ames, Nick (24 July 2019). "Africa Cup of Nations: Bennacer dazzles, Ziyech disappoints on transfer stage". ESPN FC. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ Otieno, Imran (20 July 2019). . www.futaa.com. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ Wayne Girard (3 April 2019). "Bennacer, football's artist". Football Italia. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ Benedetto Ferrara (2 March 2018). "Talento Bennacer dribbling e gol lo manda l'Arsenal" (in Italian). La Repubblica. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- ^ Wilson, Sam (18 July 2019). "Milan should be excited by Empoli pair". Football Italia. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
- ^ Chaillou, Clément. "CAN 2019: qui est Bennacer, la révélation de l'Algérie?". RMC (in French). Retrieved 26 September 2020.
- ^ Ismaël Bennacer at National-Football-Teams.com
- ^ "Milan secure 1st Serie A title in 11 years". News18 India. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ "Algeria hold on against Senegal to win Afcon". BBC Sport. 19 July 2019.
- ^ Kappel, David (21 July 2019). . www.soccerladuma.co.za. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
External links Edit
- Profile at the AC Milan website
- Ismaël Bennacer at Soccerbase
- Ismaël Bennacer at Soccerway
- Ismaël Bennacer at FootballDatabase.eu
- Ismaël Bennacer at the French Football Federation (in French)
- at the French Football Federation (archived 2020-10-20) (in French)