Karim Matmour


Karim Matmour is an Algerian professional footballer who is currently an assistant manager for Kehler FV and has last played for Adelaide United.
An Algerian international since 2007, Matmour featured at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. During his career, he has won 30 international caps and scored 2 goals. Matmour plays in the midfield position, where he can play behind the tips or right and said his favourite position is right wing.
During his playing time career, Matmour played for SC Freiburg, Borussia Mönchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt, 1. FC Kaiserslautern, Al-Arabi, Huddersfield Town, 1860 Munich and Adelaide United.

Club career

SC Freiburg

Born in Strasbourg, France, Matmour joined his hometown club of Vauban Strasbourg when he was five years old. He then joined RC Strasbourg, where he began his playing career.
After coming up through the academy team, he was not offered a professional contract and was then rejected by Racing Club. He subsequently briefly played for the amateur side Vauban Strasbourg before leaving for Germany to join SC Freiburg's reserve side in 2004.
After spending his first season with the club's reserve side, Matmour was eventually promoted to the senior side in the second–half of the 2005–06 season. He made his SC Freiburg first team debut on 28 January 2006, coming on as a substitute for Ibrahim Tanko in the 67th minutes, in a 1–0 win over Dynamo Dresden. In a 2–1 win over 1860 Munich on 27 February 2006, Matmour set up a goal for Aleksandre Iashvili, who scored twice for the side. It wasn't until on 3 May 2006 when he scored his first goals, in a 2–1 win over Hansa Rostock. At the end of the 2005–06 season, Matmour made a total of 16 appearances and scoring 2 times in all competitions.
In the 2006–07 season, Matmour continued to feature in the first team at the start of the season with SC Freiburg. He then set up for the first two goals in the match, in a 3–3 draw against Greuther Fürth on 22 September 2006. It wasn't until on 15 April 2007 when Matmour scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–0 win over 1. FC Köln. At the end of the 2006–07 season, Matmour finished the season, making 33 appearances and scoring 3 times in all competitions, as they finished fifth place in the league. Despite missing three matches, due to ankle injury, Matmour finished the 2006–07 season, making 33 appearances and scoring 3 times in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2007–08 season, Matmour signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2010. At the start of the season, he remained in the first team regular for the side, playing in the midfield positions. It wasn't until on 26 September 2007 when he scored his first goal, as well as, setting up one of the goals, in a 3–1 win over 1. FC Köln. He went on to add two more goals by the end of 2007. Despite missing one game, due to injury, he finished the 2007–08 season, making 34 appearances and scoring 6 times in all competitions, as they finished fifth place. By the time of his departure, Matmour made 80 league appearances in three seasons in the 2. Bundesliga.

Borussia Mönchengladbach

On 4 June 2008, Matmour joined newly promoted Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach on a four-year contract, with the team paying his former club SC Freiburg €2 million for the transfer.
Matmour made his Borussia Mönchengladbach debut, where he started and played 61 minutes before coming off as a substitute, in an 8–1 win over VfB Fichte Bielefeld in the first round of DFB-Pokal. A week later, on 17 August 2008, he started the whole game, in a 3–1 loss against VfB Stuttgart in the opening game of the season. Two weeks later, on 30 August 2008, Matmour scored his first goal for the club, in a 3–2 win over Werder Bremen. Since joining Borussia Mönchengladbach, he quickly established himself in the starting eleven for the side. He later scored two more goals for the club as the season progressed and they went on to finish 15th place in the league. Despite missing out one game during the 2008–09 season, Matmour finished his first season at Borussia Mönchengladbach, making 35 appearances and scoring 3 times in all competitions.
Ahead of the 2009–10 season, Matmour was linked a move away from the club, with Turkish side Fenerbahçe interested in signing him, but stayed at the club throughout the summer. At the start of the 2009–10 season, Matmour established himself in the first team, where he played in the midfield position. He then scored his first goal of the season, in a 2–1 win over Hertha BSC on 25 August 2009. Although he began to suffer goal drought throughout the season, he began to play in a striker position. This last until late–December, due to injuries and international commitment. After the end of African Cup of Nations, he returned to the first team, coming on as a second-half substitute, where he set up the winning goal, in a 2–1 win over 1. FC Nürnberg on 12 February 2010. For the rest of the season, Matmour continued to remain in the first team despite his struggles to score and his own injury concerns. At the end of the 2009–10 season, Matmour went on to make 27 appearances and scoring once in all competitions.
On 1 August 2010, during Mönchengladbach's arranged friendly match versus Liverpool as part of their 110th anniversary celebrations at Borussia Park, Matmour took advantage of some poor play by Daniel Ayala inside the area and produced a powerful finish in the eighth minute. They won the contest thanks to Matmour's goal, with the final score being 1–0. However, he suffered injuries at the start of the season. It wasn't until on 6 November 2010 when he returned to the first team from injury, coming on as a late substitute, in a 3–3 draw against Bayern Munich. On 30 January 2011, Matmour came on as a substitute for Mike Hanke in the forty-sixth minute in a league fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt. In the second half, Matmour came close to scoring with a header which bounced off the top of the crossbar. He set up the only goal scored in the encounter which was a cross from the left side to Igor de Camargo, who put the ball away inside the far right post. Since returning from injury, Matmour spent the rest of the matches on the substitute bench, although he remained in the first team for the remainder of the season. At the end of the 2010–11 season, Matmour went on to make a total of 23 appearances in all competitions.

Eintracht Frankfurt

On 1 July 2011, Matmour signed a one-year contract, with Eintracht Frankfurt holding the option of a further two-year extension. The two clubs agreed not to release the transfer fee, therefore keeping it undisclosed. Eintracht Frankfurt chairman Heribert Bruchhagen said: "In signing Karim Matmour we've found the optimal solution for the vacant slot on the right of the attack, in line with Armin Veh's wishes", about the signing of Matmour.
Matmour quickly made an impact at Eintracht Frankfurt when he scored on his debut, in a 3–2 win over Greuther Fürth in the opening game of the season. Since making his debut, he quickly established himself in the starting eleven for the side, playing in the right–midfield. By the end of 2011, he scored two more goals, adding three goals to his tally this season. Matmour then scored a hat–trick on 18 February 2012, as well as, setting up one of the goals, in a 6–1 win over FSV Frankfurt. After suffering an injury in early–March, Matmour spent the rest of the season in the first team, coming on as a substitute. At the end of the 2011–12 season, that saw the club promoted to Bundesliga, he went on to make 30 appearances and scoring 6 times in all competitions.
At the start of the 2012–13 season, Matmour was placed on the substitute bench for the first three matches of the season following a thigh injury he sustained. By September, he soon received a handful of playing time, mostly coming from the substitute bench. He then scored his first goal of the season, in a 3–1 win over Hannover 96 on 20 October 2012. Despite his goal drought, his performance convinced Manager Armin Veh, saying: " Karim deserves to play from the start." However, Matmour was sent–off on two occasions, both of were second bookable offence against Schalke 04 and Fortuna Düsseldorf. Following his return, Matmour spent the rest of the season, coming on the substitute bench for the side, as they finished sixth place in the league. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Matmour went on to make 24 appearances and scoring once in all competitions.

1. FC Kaiserslautern

On 21 June 2013, Matmour joined 1. FC Kaiserslautern on a free transfer after his contract at Eintracht Frankfurt came to an end. He joined the club, signing a two–year contract, to become the club's fourth signing of the season.
Matmour made his 1. FC Kaiserslautern debut, where he started the whole game, in a 1–0 win over SC Paderborn in the opening game of the season. Then, on 3 August 2013, in the first round of DFB-Pokal, in a 7–0 win over Neckarsulmer SU. Since making his debut, he quickly established himself in the first team at 1. FC Kaiserslautern. Matmour then played in the right–back position for the first time after the club was low of right–back position, in a 1–0 loss against SV Sandhausen on 14 September 2013. A week later on 25 September 2013, he scored again in the second round of DFB-Pokal, in a 3–1 win over Hertha BSC. It wasn't until on 8 November 2013 when he scored his first league goal for the club, in a 4–0 win over FSV Frankfurt. He featured in every matches since the start of the season until he suffered a thigh injury that he sustained in training and missed out one match as a result. Despite the setbacks, Matmour finished his first season at 1. FC Kaiserslautern, making 37 appearances and scoring 5 times in all competitions.
At the start of the 2014–15 season, Matmour scored his first goal of the season and set up one of the goal, in a 2–1 win over Eintracht Braunschweig on 24 August 2014. He continued to regain his first team place in the starting eleven for the side. This last until in October when he suffered a flu and missed two matches as a result. After returning from the sideline, Matmour then scored his second goal of the season, in a 4–0 win over 1. FC Heidenheim on 4 April 2015. Despite missing several matches later in the 2014–15 season, Matmour went on to make 27 appearances and scoring 3 times in all competitions.
With his contract about to end in the summer, Matmour was released by the club after opting against extending his contract.

Al-Arabi SC

On 17 June 2015, he signed a two-year deal with Al-Arabi of Kuwait after his contract at 1. FC Kaiserslautern came to an end. He previously linked a move to Karlsruher SC before moving to Kuwait.
He made his debut for the club in a 10–1 win against Al-Tadamun SC with scoring the 4th goal of the game. After scoring 2 goals in as many matches in the Kuwait Federation Cup, Matmour asked Al-Arabi to terminate his contract and filed a complaint against them to FIFA, citing financial aspects. He was subsequently released by Al-Arabi on 31 October 2015.

Huddersfield Town

On 20 January 2016, after a trial period, Matmour joined English Football League Championship side Huddersfield Town on a contract until the end of the 2015–16 season.
He made his début for the Terriers as a substitute in the 2–1 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at Falmer Stadium on 23 January 2016. He made his first start for the Terriers in the 3–2 defeat against Cardiff City on 30 January 2016. Matmour scored his first goal for Huddersfield in the West Yorkshire derby against Leeds United in Huddersfield's 4–1 victory on 19 March 2016.
At the end of the 2015/16 season, where he made 13 appearances and scoring once for the side, Matmour was released from his contract after the club refused to activate a clause in his contract to extend his stay in Yorkshire for another year.

1860 Munich

At the start of the 2016–17 season Matmour signed a two-year-contract with German 2. Bundesliga club 1860 Munich.
Matmour made his debut for the club, where he started and played for 61 minutes before coming off as a substitute, in a 1–0 loss against Greuther Fürth in the opening game of the season. Two week later, on 20 August 2016, he scored his first goal for the club, in the first round of DFB-Pokal, in a 2–1 win over Karlsruher SC. A month later, on 22 September 2016, Matmour played a role during a match against FC St. Pauli when he set up two goals, in a 2–2 draw.
However, after handful of first team appearances, Matmour's time at the club was soon overshadowed by injuries and being placed on the sidelined as a result. Although he soon recovered from his injuries, Matmour soon had a fallen out with new Manager Vítor Pereira and was banished to the TSV 1860 Munich II as a result. This also combined with off the pitch issues with the club. As a result, his contract with the club was withdrawn in March 2017 despite a year on his contract left.

Adelaide United

On 15 August 2017, Matmour signed a 1-year deal with Australian A-League club Adelaide United.
Matmour made his Adelaide United debut, where he started the whole game in the opening game of the season, in a 1–1 draw against Wellington Phoenix. He left Adelaide United in December 2017, terminating his contract early after playing 11 games.

Post playing career

After leaving Australia, Matmour returned to Germany and was appointed as an assistant manager for Kehler FV in February 2018. However, he stated that he has yet retired.

International career

He received first call up to Algeria against Libya, 6 February 2007, making his debut, where he started and played 55 minutes before coming off, in a 2–1 win.
Two years later, on 7 June 2009, he scored his first ever Algeria international goal, in a 3–1 win over Egypt. Then, on 18 November 2009 against Egypt for the second time this year, Matmour came on as a substitute in the 57th minutes and helped the side beat them 1–0 to qualify for the next year's World Cup. Because of his performance against Egypt, Matmour was considered a folk hero in Algeria.
The following month, Matmour was selected by Saâdane to play in the 2010 African Cup of Nations hosted in Angola. At the African Cup Nations, he played his first match of the tournament, where he started and played 62 minutes, in a 3–0 loss against Malawi on 11 January 2010. Matmour scored an equaliser against Ivory Coast and the game went through extra time, as Algeria won 3–2 to ensure their qualification for the semi-finals. For his performance, Matmour was named Man of the Match. However, losses against Egypt and Nigeria saw Algeria finished fourth place in the tournament.
Matmour was then called by the national team again for the World Cup in South Africa. He played his first World Cup match on Matchday, where he started and played for 81 minutes before coming off a substitute, in a 1–0 loss against Slovenia. He went on to start the next two matches against England and USA, as Algeria ended up eliminated in the Group Stage, without scoring a single goal.
After the World Cup, Matmour didn't make another Algeria appearance until on 4 June 2011, where he started and played 45 minutes before coming off as substitute at half time, in a 4–0 loss against Morocco. On 3 May 2012, Matmour announced that he would be taking a break from international play to focus on his club career. This was later revealed over his falling out with Manager Vahid Halilhodžić.

Personal life

Growing up in Strasbourg, France, Matmour said he first started football was at "right in front of my house. There were two in my neighborhood, a concrete and a lawn" and idolised Raí. In addition to speaking French, he also speaks German and understands Arabic. On his political views in France, Matmour is a critic of Nicolas Sarkozy, accusing him of creating conflicts over derogatory statements against young French immigrants. Matmour is Muslim.
Since 2009, Matmour is married to Algerian-German singer Manel Filali, famous for her work with Anne Ross in the pop duo Milk & Honey.

Career statistics

International goals

Goal #DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
17 June 2009Stade Mustapha Tchaker, Blida1–03–12010 FIFA World Cup qualification
224 January 2010Estádio Nacional do Chiazi, Cabinda1–13–22010 African Cup of Nations