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The French-Algerian striker Ishak Belfodil is relatively unknown but immensely talented, and is a product of the famed Lyon youth academy. Inter Milan are known to invest big chunks of money on big name players but new coach Walter Mazzarri has again relied on his player-scouting instincts that brought him so much success at Napoli.
As a naturalised Frenchman, Belfodil has a mixture of Gallic talent and North African physique that is similar to the likes of Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa, fellow Lyon academy graduates with North African ancestry.
The 21-year old former French U-20 international made a fine impact on the Italian Serie A last season playing for Parma, and Juventus’s failed January deadline day offer of 13-million Euros is testament to the fact that Belfodil’s talent is being noticed by the big clubs.
It is not easy being an old-fashioned striker in the defensive atmosphere of Italian football but the 6ft 4in Belfodil impressed the Parma manager Roberto Donadoni so much that he preferred him as a lone striker in place of the seasoned Amauri.
Despite being tall, the former Lyon player, who is still to be capped by Algeria after a FIFA processing error in 2012 delayed his senior debut for Vahid Halilhodzic’s side, is tremendously mobile inside the opponent’s penalty box and uses his strong physical strength to dictate the game from the midfield.
Belfodil is not a one-dimensional centre forward but is someone who can link up play from the midfield as well as take on opponents. He can also hold the ball up to give his defense more time to regroup during pressure situations.
He has tremendous pace and fine positional reflexes in the opposition box, is good with his both feet and head and also has a poacher-like presence that makes him a player similar to Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema.
In short, he is a typical Walter Mazzarri signing that will raise a few eyebrows. But one cannot question the man’s ability to pick up talent and turning them into big stage players.
Inter need someone to replace the irreplaceable Diego Milito, whose injury last season hampered the San Siro club’s drive towards a better finish in the Serie A. Finishing ninth in the league is considered disastrous for a club of Inter’s stature and Mazzarri has been given the go-ahead to rebuild the club.
Furthermore, with the Algerian’s market value set to rise in the future the Nerazzurri did not let go the chance to sign a talented young player at an undisclosed fee.
The 21-year-old scored eight goals in 33 league appearances for Parma last season after leaving Lyon last summer, and if reports in the Italian media are to be believed, negotiations over a move to the blue half of San Siro began shortly after the 2012-13 season came to a close.
Belfodil’s arrival in Milan follows the permanent transfer of 30-year-old striker Antonio Cassano to Parma, and the latter would be delighted to be reunited with former national team boss Roberto Donadoni who revived his international career from 2006 to 2008.
There are more signings to come at Inter Milan before the summer transfer window winds down but the signing of Belfodil is a bold move made by the new Nerazzurri boss.
Despite being liked and talked of being the next star in waiting, the Algerian’s performance dropped after the January transfer window as he allowed unnecessary controversy to harm his game. He incurred the wrath of the Parma hierarchy after making a ‘silence’ gesture towards the bench immediately after scoring a goal against Lazio, annoyed that he was not the club’s nominal penalty taker.
Belfodil came in for some hard rebuke from Donadoni apparently because of a lack of commitment, and there had been some altercations between him and the coach indicating that the player is not short of some unwanted ego.
According to the Algerian media, national boss Vahid Halilhodzic has high hopes for the player but he is yet to provide him with his first senior international cap after being quoted as saying that he wants “players who respect the shirt”. Again, it could be that the player’s unnecessary ego has come in the way of the respected Bosnian coach’s management of the Algerian national football team.
If he was the victim of his ego at Parma prior to his arrival at Inter, Walter Mazzarri is sure to be aware of this problem but the former Napoli boss is also aware of the fact that he is a player who can change the fate of a game with a single moment of brilliance.
Belfodil is a player who has the potential to play on the world stage, but first he has to learn to check his ego and learn a lot that football is about more than just skilful ball control and goal-celebrations. A traditional powerhouse like Inter Milan would no doubt provide him the stage to improve but also they are notoriously intolerant about any semblance of player indiscipline.
Watch all his goals here:
