Farid El Melali

Farid El Melali
El Melali with Angers in 2020
Personal information
Date of birth (1997-05-05) 5 May 1997 (age 27)
Place of birth Blida, Algeria
Height 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Forward
Team information
Current team
Angers
Number 28
Youth career
2013–2016 Paradou AC
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2016–2018 Paradou AC 45 (8)
2018– Angers 108 (12)
2018–2022 Angers II 8 (2)
2022Pau (loan) 17 (1)
International career
2015–2016 Algeria U20 6 (4)
2017–2018 Algeria U23 9 (2)
2017– Algeria 3 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 20 December 2024
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 4 May 2020

Farid El Melali (Arabic: فَرِيْد الْمَلَالِيّ; born 5 May 1997) is an Algerian professional footballer who plays for Ligue 1 club Angers.

Formed at Paradou AC, he signed for Angers in 2018 where he played in Ligue 1 and Ligue 2, also being loaned to Pau in the latter part of 2022. He played three games for Algeria in 2017 and 2018.

Club career

[edit]

Born in Blida, El Melali began his career with Paradou AC. On 9 August 2018, he signed a four-year deal with French Ligue 1 side Angers SCO, having previously been close to a move to RC Lens and Algiers duo USM Alger and MC Alger.[1] Only used as a substitute in his first season, he scored his first goal for the club on 24 August 2019 in the fourth minute of a 3–0 home win over FC Metz,[2] and followed it a week later with another goal in a 2–0 victory against Dijon FCO also at the Stade Raymond Kopa;[3] the following 19 January he netted twice in the first half of a 4–1 win at FC Rouen in the last 32 of the Coupe de France.[4]

In May 2020, El Melali signed an extension until 2023.[5] He netted just once in 17 games in 2020–21, when again he was mainly a substitute; this goal came in a 3–0 home win over Dijon on 9 May 2021.[6]

On 7 January 2022, El Melali joined Pau FC of Ligue 2 for the second half of the 2021–22 season.[7] He scored once in 17 games, equalising in a 2–1 comeback win at home to Amiens SC on 5 March.[8]

In June 2023, with Angers now relegated to Ligue 2, El Melali signed a new two-year contract.[9]

International career

[edit]

El Melali made his debut for Algeria on 18 August 2017 in a 1–1 draw with Libya in 2018 African Nations Championship qualification, as a 75th-minute substitute for Mohamed Madani.[10]

Personal life

[edit]

In May 2020, El Melali was seen masturbating in the courtyard of his block of flats while looking at a woman who lived on the ground floor. He was arrested and charged by French police with public masturbation.[11] He later apologized for his behavior, as he wrote: "In the past few days, I've lived through very hard and stressful period, whether mentally or physically, I've been criticized and toughly judged. I understand how hard it was for the people who have received the news, because no one can forgive this kind of behavior".[12]

In July 2020, El Melali was arrested for the same offence, the second in three months.[13] In October, he was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, fined €2,000 and made to pay compensation of €1,600 and €2,300 to two victims.[14]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Officiel : El Mellali pour 4 ans au SCO Angers" [Official: El Melali to SCO Angers for four years] (in French). DZ Foot. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Angers beats Metz 3-0 to climb to 4th in France". Washington Times. 24 August 2019. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  3. ^ Oludare, Shina (1 September 2019). "Muzinga scores an own goal as Dijon loses to El Melali's Angers". Goal. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  4. ^ Benarbia, Yassine (21 January 2020). "Coupe de France : El Melali retrouve son punch avec Angers" [Coupe de France: El Melali gets his groove back with Angers]. La Gazette du Fennec (in French). Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Angers prolonge Farid El-Melali" [Angers extend with Farid El Melali]. L'Équipe (in French). 4 May 2020. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  6. ^ "El Melali signe son premier but cette saison" [El Melali scores his first goal this season]. La Gazette du Fennec (in French). 9 May 2021. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Officiel : El Melali signe au Pau FC" [Official: El Melali signs for Pau FC] (in French). DZ Foot. 8 January 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Football - Ligue 2 : Pau est revenu de loin contre Amiens" [Football - Ligue 2: Pau came from behind against Amiens]. La République des Pyrenées (in French). 4 March 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Capelle, Diony et El Melali prolongent à Angers" [Capelle, Diony and El Melali extend at Angers]. L'Équipe (in French). 21 June 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Élim. CHAN 2018 : Libye 1-1 Algérie (Fin)" [ANC 2018 qual.: Libya 1-1 Algeria (result)] (in French). DZ Foot. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Angers' El Melali charged with sexual exhibition". ESPN.com. 5 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Algerian Footballer Farid El Melali Arrested for Masturbating in Front of His Neighbors!". albawaba.com. 7 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Angers forward Farid El Melali arrested after second public masturbation charge in just three months". Talksport. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  14. ^ Mercier, Cyprien (29 October 2020). "Angers-SCO. Exhibitions sexuelles : Farid El Melali condamné à six mois de prison avec sursis" [Angers-SCO. Sexual exhibitionism: Farid El Melali given six-month suspended sentence]. Ouest-France (in French). Retrieved 5 February 2021.
[edit]