Youcef Belaili, a professional from Algeria, has joined the French club Ajaccio on a free transfer.
After breaking his contract with Brest, a French Ligue 1 rival, in September, the 30-year-old midfielder joins on a deal that runs through the end of the current season.
Belaili claims that his fellow countryman Andy Delort, a former player for Ajaccio, was a factor in his choice to sign with the Corsican team.
He told the club website, “I chose Ajaccio because I spoke with Andy and he said it was a wonderful club.
The sporting director, Johan Cavalli, and I later met, and we had a lengthy discussion about the club.
In 45 senior international games for Algeria, Belaili has nine goals and an astounding 22 assists.
The widely traveled athlete returned from a doping suspension to lead Algeria to the 2019 African Cup of Nations and 2021 Arab Cup victories.
Prior to the mutual expiration of his contract at Brest, his career took him from his home Oran to France via stops in Tunisia, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
He was compelled to publish a statement via the Algerian Football Federation (FAF), disputing claims made in Qatari media that “disturbing personal difficulties and disorderliness” were the cause of his departure from Brest. The player insisted that his departure was the result of a “mutual split.”
Belaili is prepared to face a faltering Ajaccio with the hope of restarting his career.
In order for us to maintain our Ligue 1 status, he continued, “I will give everything to the club by scoring goals and supplying enough assists.”
“I have a lot of experience, and my goal is to stick with Ajaccio, the coach, Johan, and the fans beyond this predetermined period of time,” the player said.
Depending on the LFP’s consent, Ajaccio anticipates having Belaili available for their Ligue 1 encounter against Troyes on Sunday (Ligue de Football Professionnel).
