Lorient FC and Algerian National Team

Yazid Mansouri is a French-born Algerian football player who currently plays as a defensive midfielder for French Ligue 1 side FC Lorient.

Mansouri began his career at Tinqueux SC, a small team from Tinqueux who were playing in the sixth division. At age 17, he left the club and signed with Le Havre AC who were playing in Ligue 1, where he spent his first two seasons playing in the reserve side. He made his debut in the first game of the 1997-1998 season, coming as a second half substitute against Olympique de Marseille. He would slowly assert himself at the club and would eventually go on to make 134 appearances and scoring 2 goals in 6 seasons in both Ligue 1 and Ligue 2.

At the start of the 2003-2004 season, Mansouri was loaned out for the season to English Championship side Coventry City F.C. Mansouri made 14 appearances in the first half of the season before leaving, against the clubs wishes, to play for Algeria at the 2004 African Cup of Nations in Mali. His contract was subsequently terminated and he remained without a club for the rest of the season.

In the summer of 2004, Mansouri signed with Ligue 2 side LB Châteauroux where he easily imposed himself in the middle of the park. He would go on to make 63 appearances for the club, starting every one of them, and scoring 2 goals. He was also the captain of the team in the 2005-2006 season.

At the beginning of the 2006 season, Mansouri signed a 2-year contract with Ligue 1 side FC Lorient.

Mansouri first featured for the Algerian national team in a set of friendlies against FC Zurich and ES Troyes in 1999. He received his first official call-up to the national team on November 6, 2001 in a friendly game against France in Paris. He was a member of the Algerian team at the 2002 African Cup of Nations and the 2004 African Cup of Nations. His origins in Algeria are from the Kabylie region. He is currently the captain of the team and also the most capped player on the team.

Source: Midfielder