Between Stade Brestois and Youcef Belaïli, the adventure ended on Thursday. The Breton club announced in a press release the departure of its midfielder, brilliant at times on the ground without ever having really convinced since his arrival last January.
The 30-year-old’s contract, which was extended for a year this summer, was terminated at his request, the club said. Left last week to join his selection, the Algerian international (40 caps, 7 goals) will therefore not return to Brest.
“Youcef felt unwell on a daily basis, in particular being away from his family. It was therefore difficult for him to continue on this path. For his daily balance and the good of the group, we have agreed to put an end to our collaboration. All the things that have been said in recent days about the player remain private matters that do not concern us or that do not need to be expanded on. The most important today is the sporting situation of Stade Brestois and the institution remains above his personal case, like that of any other player.
The 30-year-old attacking midfielder, a real star in Algeria, arrived in January to compensate for the departure of Romain Faivre to Lyon, and to give himself a new chance in Ligue 1 after a first failure in Angers in the fall of 2017. After a adaptation time, he had made a good end to the season with three goals in his last five matches. This summer, the recovery was again sluggish and Belaïli only distinguished himself with two assists in August.
In January, his arrival quadrupled the number of Brest subscribers on social networks, where each publication was widely commented on by Fennecs supporters. During the team’s travels, many Algerian supporters were waiting for Belaïli at the hotel, at the bus or at the stadium, amused teammates told AFP. The Algerian flags can however continue to be waved since Brest recruited Islam Slimani this summer, author of 42 goals in the Algerian jersey.
According to local media, the one who is nicknamed “El Loco”, “Pablo Escobar”, or even the “Algerian Neymar” left 30,000 to 50,000 euros worth of damage in the rental house where he was staying last season, and is illustrated by a series of delays and pranks, as well as a state of form that is not always at the top.