Aïssa Mandi
Aïssa Mandi is a professional footballer who plays for Ligue 1 club Lille. Born in France, he plays for the Algeria national team. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a right-back.
Mandi made his international debut for Algeria in March 2014 and has since earned 115 caps, making him the most capped Algerian footballer of all time. He was a member of the Algerian team for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, as well as the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2023 and 2025, winning the 2019 tournament.
Club career
Reims
Mandi started to play football at the age of 8 at Reims. On 20 August 2010, he made his professional debut as a starter for the club in a Ligue 2 match against Le Havre. During the 2011–12 season, Mandi made 26 appearances as Reims gained promotion from Ligue 2.On 5 April 2014, Mandi scored two own goals in a match against Paris Saint-Germain.
Real Betis
On 30 June 2016, Mandi signed a five-year deal with La Liga side Real Betis.Villarreal
On 16 June 2021, Mandi signed a four-year contract with fellow La Liga side Villarreal, as his contract with Betis expired.On 11 August 2021, Mandi made his professional Villarreal debut against Chelsea in the 2021 UEFA Super Cup, where he went on to miss a penalty in the shoot-out (association football)|shoot-out].
Lille
On 1 August 2024, Mandi returned to France, signing for Lille on a two-year deal.International career
While he was also eligible to play for France, Mandi decided to play for Algeria and made his debut for them on 5 March 2014 in a 2–0 victory over Slovenia. He was one of the revelations of the Algerian national team during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.Mandi scored his first goal for Algeria in a 3–3 away draw to Ethiopia during the 2017 [Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group J|qualifiers] for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.
In December 2023, he was named in Algeria's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. On 10 October 2024, he featured in his 100th international match for his nation in a 5–1 victory against Togo during the 2025 Africa [Cup of Nations qualification|2025 AFCON qualification].
On 6 January 2026, during AFCON finals, Mandi and Riyad Mahrez made their 23rd appearances at AFCON for Algeria, breaking Rabah Madjer's 34-year record.
Personal life
Mandi was born in the town of Châlons-en-Champagne in Northern France to Algerian parents from Chlef.Career statistics
International
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
| 1 | 29 March 2016 | Addis Ababa Stadium, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | 2–2 | 3–3 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 2 | 29 March 2021 | Mustapha Tchaker Stadium, Blida, Algeria | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2021 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 3 | 12 October 2021 | Stade Général Seyni Kountché, Niamey, Niger | 2–0 | 4–0 | 2022 [FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round|2022 FIFA World Cup qualification] | |
| 4 | 4 June 2022 | Stade du 5 Juillet, Algiers, Algeria | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 5 | 22 March 2024 | Nelson Mandela Stadium, Algiers, Algeria | 3–2 | 3–2 | 2024 FIFA Series | |
| 6 | 17 November 2024 | Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium, Tizi Ouzou, Algeria | 1–1 | 5–1 | 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualification | |
| 7 | 25 March 2025 | Hocine Aït Ahmed Stadium, Tizi Ouzou, Algeria | 2–0 | 5–1 | 2026 FIFA [World Cup qualification – CAF Group G|2026 FIFA World Cup qualification] |