Aouar formalizes his choice and explains

As anticipated in recent days, the French international Houssem Aouar formalized this Thursday his change of sporting nationality and his decision to play for the country of his parents, Algeria.

Promised a huge future at a very young age, the Olympique Lyonnais midfielder had honored his first and only blue cap in October 2020 against Ukraine in a friendly match (7-1) at the end of a magnificent summer with high-flying performances during the Final 8 in the Champions League. Since then, the 24-year-old Gone has never managed to reach the expected level. Now a substitute within his training club, he should leave the Rhône libre at the end of the season… and as an Algerian international.

“I have a large part of me that is French, because I was born here and I grew up here, but I also have a very large part of me that is Algerian, because of my origins and the way I was educated at home“explained the Lyonnais during a nine-minute video broadcast by the Algerian Football Federation (FAF).

“A sign of fate»

Aouar then responded to the accusations of those who risk taxing him opportunist going back over the circumstances of his decision. “This summer, I was on vacation in Algeria and I received a call from the president (of the FAF), who simply told me of his desire, and that of the coach, that I join the selection because there was still a possibility. To be honest, it’s something that had been on my mind for a very long time, but I couldn’t see myself doing the process because I was afraid that I would be seen as an opportunist. And there, the coach and the president reached out to me, so inevitably I saw it as a sign of fate. I saw that I had a second chance and I jumped on it, because it is something that should not be missed I think“, concluded the Gone who should wait before celebrating his first summons.

Recently returned from injury and short of pace, the rookie is indeed likely to miss the double confrontation against niger March 23 and 27 in the CAN 2023 qualifiers.