Nassim Akrour Explained

Nassim Akrour
Birth Date:10 July 1974
Birth Place:Courbevoie, France
Position:Striker
Currentclub:Chambéry
Annecy (U16 coach)
Years1:1995–1997
Clubs1:Olympique Noisy-le-Sec
Years2:1997–1999
Clubs2:Sutton United
Caps2:41
Goals2:19
Years3:1999–2000
Clubs3:Woking
Caps3:38
Goals3:12
Years4:2000–2002
Clubs4:FC Istres
Caps4:74
Goals4:32
Years5:2002–2004
Clubs5:Troyes
Caps5:44
Goals5:10
Years6:2004
Clubs6:Le Havre
Caps6:16
Goals6:2
Years7:2004–2010
Clubs7:Grenoble
Caps7:194
Goals7:54
Years8:2010–2013
Clubs8:FC Istres
Caps8:101
Goals8:28
Years9:2013–2016
Clubs9:Grenoble
Caps9:85
Goals9:40
Years10:2016–2019
Clubs10:Annecy
Caps10:69
Goals10:38
Years11:2020–
Clubs11:Chambéry
Caps11:73
Goals11:15
Nationalyears1:2001–2004
Nationalteam1:Algeria
Nationalcaps1:18
Nationalgoals1:6
Pcupdate:19:16, 2 June 2024 (UTC)

Nassim Akrour (Arabic: نسيم أكرور; born 10 July 1974) is a footballer and coach who currently plays for Chambéry and coaches the youth team at Annecy, whom he represented as a player between 2016 and 2019. Though born in France, he played for the Algeria national team, earning 18 caps and scoring six goals between 2001 and 2004.

Akrour is the all-time leading scorer of French club Grenoble Foot 38 with 94 league goals.

Personal life

Akrour was born in Courbevoie in the northeastern suburbs of Paris. He holds both French and Algerian nationalities.[1]

Club career

He began his career with Olympique Noisy-le-Sec, moving to England in 1997 to join Sutton United, where he scored 19 goals in 41 appearances during the 1998-99 season as the club won promotion to the Football Conference.[2] He left Sutton in 1999, joining new divisional rivals Woking; he was a fixture of the team throughout the 1999-2000 season, scoring twelve league goals as Woking finished in mid-table.

Akrour returned to his native France in the summer of 2000 to join FC Istres, where he scored sixteen goals in his first season as the team earned promotion to Division 2, and matched that tally in his second season. This good form prompted Troyes to sign Akrour in 2002, but he struggled to adapt to Ligue 1, managing only 13 appearances and one goal. He stayed with the club following their relegation, and again proved a regular scorer at Ligue 2 level, this time scoring 9 times in 31 games.

He moved to Grenoble in 2004, beginning a six-year association with the club; scoring at least ten goals a season for three consecutive seasons between 2005 and 2008, he reached his peak in his early thirties, helping the team to promotion to Ligue 1 in 2008, and survival the following year.

In July 2010, Akrour returned to FC Istres, signing a one-year contract with an option for a second year. He remained with Istres until the summer of 2013, when he rejoined Grenoble, who were now playing in the fourth tier of French football.

Akrour scored regularly for Grenoble in the fourth division, registering twelve in 25 appearances as they missed out on promotion by four points in 2013–14, then 16 in 29 appearances as they missed out by one point the following season, and 12 in 29 appearances as they missed out by three points in 2015-16.

Now aged 42, Akrour moved to Annecy in 2016; he initially announced his retirement from playing in July 2019 aged 45, in order to take up a role as a youth coach with the club,[3] but reversed this decision six months later when he signed as a player for Chambéry.

He scored on his début for Chambéry in a friendly match,[4] and followed this with good performances in the league, managing two goals in six appearances before the end of the 2019–20 season.Akrour remained with the club into his 48th year and the 2021–22 season, continuing to score with some regularity.[5] During the 2023–24 season, he was limited to frequent appearances as a substitute and did not start a match throughout most of the season, but remained a force in front of goal; in April 2024, aged 49 years and 9 months, he scored Chambéry's only goal, and his fifth of the campaign, as they drew 1–1 with Feurs.[6] The following week, he made his first start of the season, playing 67 minutes of a 0–0 draw with Espaly-Saint-Marcel.[7]

International career

On 5 December 2001 Akrour made his debut for the Algerian national team as a 60th-minute substitute in a 1–1 friendly with Ghana in Algiers.[8]

Akrour was a member of the Algerian 2002 African Nations Cup team, who were eliminated in the first round after finishing last in their group. He played in all three of Algeria's games, starting in one, and scored one goal in the second group game against Liberia.[9]

He was also part of the Algerian 2004 African Nations Cup team, who finished second in their group in the first round of competition before being defeated by Morocco in the quarter-finals.

National team statistics

[10]

Algeria national team
YearAppsGoals
200120
200274
200352
200440
Total186

International goals

DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.14 January 2002Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, AlgeriaFriendly match
2.25 January 2002Stade 26 mars, Bamako, Mali2002 African Cup of Nations
3.11 October 2002Stade 19 Mai 1956, Annaba, Algeria2004 African Cup of Nations (qualification)
4.11 October 2002Stade 19 Mai 1956, Annaba, Algeria2004 African Cup of Nations (qualification)
5.29 March 2003Estádio da Cidadela, Luanda, AngolaFriendly match
6.14 November 2003Stade 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria2006 FIFA World Cup qualification

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nassim AKROUR - . 2023-08-05 . www.unfp.org.
  2. Web site: Nassim Akrour.
  3. Web site: A 45 ans, Nassim Akrour a décidé de raccrocher les crampons. footamateur.fr. fr. 7 July 2019.
  4. Web site: L'INVITÉ SPORTIF. Nassim Akrour (45 ans) débarque à Chambéry : "Je suis toujours ambitieux". www.ledauphine.com.
  5. Web site: Algeria - N. Akrour - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway.
  6. Web site: Chambéry vs. Feurs - 13 April 2024 - Soccerway. uk.soccerway.com.
  7. Web site: Espaly-Saint-Marcel vs. Chambéry - 20 April 2024 - Soccerway. uk.soccerway.com.
  8. Web site: Algérie 1-1 Ghana | Football algérien. https://web.archive.org/web/20100623001228/http://www.dzfoot.com/fiche-1115.php. dead. June 23, 2010. Football Algérien - DZFOOT.COM.
  9. Web site: Libéria 2-2 Algérie | Football algérien. https://web.archive.org/web/20100405083532/http://www.dzfoot.com/fiche-727.php. dead. April 5, 2010. Football Algérien - DZFOOT.COM.
  10. Web site: Player profile . National-Football-Teams.com .