Houssem Aouar

Houssem-Eddine Chaâbane Aouar (Arabic: حُسَام الدِّين شَعْبَان عَوَار; born 30 June 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad. Born in France, he plays for the Algeria national team.

Graduating from the youth setup of Lyon, Aouar spent his professional career at the club for seven seasons before he joined the Italian club Roma in 2023. After playing one season with the Italian club, he joined the Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad in 2024.

Aouar is a former youth international for France. He made one appearance for the country at senior level before switching his allegiance to Algeria in 2023. He represented the latter country at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

Early life

Houssem-Eddine Chaâbane Aouar was born on 30 June 1998 in Lyon, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, to parents from Béni Saf in Algeria. He grew up in Villeurbane.

Club career

Lyon

Aouar joined the Olympique Lyonnais Academy in 2009 at the age of 11.

He signed a three-year professional contract at Lyon in July 2016. He made his first team debut in on 16 February 2017 in a 1–4 away win over AZ Alkmaar in the first-leg match of the round of 32 of the knockout phase of the UEFA Europa League, replacing Sergi Darder after 84 minutes. Aouar scored his first goal for Lyon's first team a week later in the second-leg match against AZ Alkmaar at Parc Olympique Lyonnais, which Lyon won 7–1. He made his Ligue 1 debut by starting in the away match against Bastia on 16 April 2017, but the match was abandoned at half-time with the score at 0–0. A win was given to Lyon three weeks later. He was nominated for the Golden Boy award in July 2018.