Biography
Who is Yohan Benalouane?
Early life and background
Yohan Benalouane was born in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France, on March 28, 1987. He holds roots in Tunisia and grew up holding dual eligibility to represent both nations in international football matches. During his youth, he initially played for the French youth national team before shifting his senior international allegiance to Tunisia.
His football path began in France where he entered the youth setups and worked his way through the ranks. He started his professional career at the French club Saint-Étienne. After playing exclusively for the club reserves in 2005, he earned a promotion to the first team in 2007, establishing his presence in professional European football leagues.
Club career and Italian leagues
On August 31, 2010, Yohan Benalouane joined the Italian Serie A club Cesena for an undisclosed transfer fee. During a match against Bologna in December 2010, he faced heavy jeering from supporters after a poor performance and subsequent substitution, later offering a public apology for his reaction to the crowd.
He later moved to Parma on loan in the summer of 2012 before making the transfer permanent through a co-ownership deal in July 2013, signing a five-year contract with the Serie A club. By January 2014, he moved to Atalanta on another loan agreement, continuing his career across various Italian clubs.
Leicester City and English football
On August 3, 2015, Yohan Benalouane joined Premier League club Leicester City on a four-year contract for a reported fee of eight million euros. In January 2016, he moved to the Italian club ACF Fiorentina on a temporary loan deal until the conclusion of the season, though an injury prevented him from making any official league appearances for the team.
During the 2015 to 2016 Premier League campaign, he made four substitute appearances for Leicester City. While the club won the league title that season, he fell short of the five-match minimum requirement to earn a winner medal. He later returned to regular action with Nottingham Forest in January 2019 under manager Martin O'Neill, scoring his first goal for the club in a win against Derby County.
International career
Although Yohan Benalouane played once for the France under 21 team, he sought to switch his international representation to Tunisia in 2010. Administrative hurdles, including a missed vaccination requirement and various club disputes, delayed his debut for several years.
He finally accepted a call-up from Tunisia in March 2018 and made his senior international debut in a victory over Iran on March 23, 2018. Later that year, he was selected as part of Tunisia's final twenty-three man squad for the World Cup tournament held in Russia.
Birthday and age
Yohan Benalouane was born on March 28, 1987, which makes Yohan 39 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aries sign. Yohan shares the date with 49 other famous people.
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