Badredine Bouanani: The Algerian Magician by Vishwa
Player Overview:
18-year-old Badredine Bouanani is a left footed forward standing at 177cm who prefers to play on the right flank. The rising superstar was born on 8 December, 2004 in Algeria. Initially Bouanani started his football career in a local club US Ronchin before joining Lille in 2011.
Badredine Bouanani gained international recognition when he was named one of the best footballers born in 2004 worldwide by The Guardian, an English newspaper, in 2021. Lille has a reputation for producing top-tier talents, and Bouanani has further solidified this legacy as the most promising talent from the LOSC Lille academy since Eden Hazard.
Amidst numerous rumors in April 2022 suggesting that Bouanani would join Nice, the transfer was eventually confirmed in June 2022 after his contract with Lille concluded. Making his professional debut for Nice on January 11, 2023, against Montpellier, the Algerian-French player has since accumulated 25 appearances with 4 assists but is yet to score his first goal in top-flight football.
Bouanani, of Algerian and French descent, initially represented France at the U-16, U-18, and U-19 levels. However, he sparked controversy by declaring “Je suis Algérien” (I am Algerian) after scoring in a 3-2 victory for France U-18 against Algeria U-18. Eventually opting to play for Algeria, Bouanani made his full debut on March 23, 2023, providing an assist for Riyad Mahrez’s decisive goal in a match against Niger.
We will take players having played less than 1000 minutes of domestic football this season for comparison and the data indication for Badredine Bouanani will be highlighted in gold for easy identification. This methodology will be applied for all the visualizations in this analysis piece.
Attacking Analysis:
The 18-Year old is left footed, a physically imposing player with a very high football IQ considering his age. He is a complete forward knowing when to make runs in between the lines creating space for the fullback to made runs on the side lines. He is a constant threat when making line breaking runs with the ball as he pulls as many defenders as possible and also has the technical ability to slide away from pressure and make space for himself leading to many shot creating actions.
The Algerian is still awaits his first professional goal but there has been good moments which he failed to capitalize. Bouanani has 5.51 Shot Creating per 90, he does not hesitate to take chances at the goal and he more than 50% of them on target. All of the saved shots have come from outside the box insisting that the player often looks to cut in and unleash his shot towards the goal. He still has to work his weaker foot in-order to be decisive and make him more dangerous inside the 18-Yard box, he looks uncomfortable when the ball rolls towards his weaker foot making him to take more time to switch his position before taking his shot giving the opposition defender enough time to close down on him.
Bouanani is a good and creative player, after creating space for the full back to make runs on the sideline he positions himself depending on the ball position giving his team more options to look for more ways to attack. He is very good in making one-two runs leaving him a position to either take a shot or look for various options. The Algerian international has a dribbling technique that helps him slide away from defenders, with his speed he makes it hard from the defender to hold him down. He has to work on his timing on when to release the ball helping him to get to a better shot taking position. He often takes too much upon himself with the ball at his feet that makes it difficult for him to make it through when pressed by more than one player.
Badredine Bouanani has incredible pace and technique, he has the intelligence of knowing to take little touches that puts out defenders and making space for him to push the ball forward and run to make the next move. He has 4.38 Carries into Penalty Area Per 90 showing his composure when gliding into the 18-Yard box. He looks very uncomfortable when playing with his weak foot as he always tends to shield the ball or make mistakes when making a pass. He has to work a lot on his weaker foot to help him reach his potential and become one of the most decorated left footers in the upcoming generation of world football. Bouanani’s playing style looks very similar to that of Arjen Robben in his early days at Groningen
Midfield Analysis:
To begin with, we will look into a scatter plot Progressive Carries vs Touches in Mid 3rd.
Bouanani sticks in and around his position allowing himself to involve in the link up play leading him to have multiple touches in the Mid 3rd , he is wonderful with his ability to keep the ball moving in tight spaces. His off-ball positioning allows him to take on defenders and carry the ball into the final 3rd . Bouanani has the ability to become a proper 10 but he his limited because of his inability to play with his weaker foot limiting him to move with in the Mid-Field area and left flank.
The Algerian loves to drift past defenders and he has the right technique to ease pass them, despite being one footed Bouanani has immense footwork to trick past the defenders. He often tends to take too much upon himself and looses the ball even though he could have released the ball sooner, this causes a major problem in the defensive part for his team when the fullback is high up the field causing another player to move out of position creating more space for the opponents to counter attack. His incredible pace helps him to push the ball forward and cover ground in open spaces, this makes it hard for the opposing defenders to trace back and loose out on marking and closing in on other players.
Badredine Bouanani is a complete modern day attacker, he implies his IQ and reads the game good enough to make the split second decisions on taking inverted runs or runs high up the field. When he makes runs high up the pitch, his ability to cross in dangerous balls is a concerning threat when he is given the space to make runs near the corner flag high on the right flank. On the other hand, his magnificence can be seen with his ability to pick out players for through balls when he makes the inverted runs or cuts in with the ball at his feet.
The Algerian still has to work on receiving the second balls and use his body to turn towards the goal before receiving the ball. He takes one or two extra touches to put himself in the right position to make the next step giving defenders enough time to clean up before any threat can be caused. The 18-year old looks strong and confident with the ball at his feet but he has to work on his ability to shield away the ball using his body when he tries to quest upon the loose balls and second balls.
Defensive Analysis:
Moving onto the player’s defensive contribution for his team, we will look into a scatter plot between Tackles made in the attacking 3rd versus Tackles made in the mid 3rd .
Badredine Bouanani is every manager’s wanted player as he has the ability in not only with his attacking duties but also performs and carries out his defensive duties as well. He is a very hardworking player as he always tends to drop down and help his team with defensive work. He presses high putting maximum effort to read the game and intercept passes made by the opposition.
The Algerian international has been impressive in his ability to cutting out passes, clearing dangerous balls and his man marking tendency makes him a very good prospect for his team. He is very calculative in making decision tackles and surprisingly he has never been in the book ever in top flight football.
Conclusion:
The Algerian International exhibits remarkable skill and holds great promise, with the potential to carve out a legacy as one of the best players in the history of the game. However, he requires continued nurturing and ample playing time to fully unlock his capabilities. Developing his weaker foot could be a key factor in fortifying certain aspects of his game, ultimately propelling him to greater heights in the years to come.
At just 18 years old, he is currently under contract with Nice until the conclusion of the 2027 season. Nonetheless, his attributes make him an ideal fit for Ange Postecoglou’s current Tottenham Hotspur side. Given his youth, providing him with opportunities and consistent game time could position him as a potential successor to Dejan Kulusevski. With the right support and chances to showcase his talent, he possesses all the qualities needed to make a significant impact on the team.