Inès Belloumou

Inès Belloumou (Arabic: إيناس بلومو; born 21 June 2001) is a professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Damallsvenskan club Malmö FF on loan from Women's Super League side West Ham United. Born in France, she plays for the Algeria national team.

Club career

Born in Martigues, Belloumou started playing football for the eponymous local club at the age of five, subsequently coming through the mixed-sex youth ranks; in 2016, aged 15, she began attending the INSEP training centre in Paris, while simultaneously joining the academy of Marseille.

On 18 May 2018, Belloumou made her professional debut, coming on as a substitute for Maud Antoine in the 80th minute of a 7–0 league defeat to Lyon. At the end of the 2017–18 season, she left Marseille after turning down an offer for a professional deal.

In June 2018, Belloumou joined fellow Division 1 Féminine club Montpellier on a free transfer. Following a season with the under-19 team, she signed her first professional contract with the club in September 2019. She then made her senior debut for Montpellier on 28 September of the same year, coming on for Iva Landeka in the 69th minute of a 6–0 league win over Dijon.

On 21 July 2023, Belloumou joined German side Bayern Munich on a permanent deal, signing a two-year contract. She made her debut for the Bavarian club on 8 October, coming on for Linda Dallmann in the 70th minute of a 2–0 league victory over SGS Essen.

In July 2024, Belloumou signed a three-year contract with Women's Super League club West Ham United. She was immediately loaned to Lazio for season 2024–25, where she will accumulate the necessary points to meet the Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) criteria for international player visas.

International career

Born in France, Belloumou is of Algerian descent. She has represented France at under-17, under-19 and under-23 level.

On 5 February 2025, Belloumou's request to switch international allegiance to Algeria was approved by FIFA. 14 days later, she made her debut for the Algeria national team, starting in a 0–5 away win over South Sudan.

Style of play

Belloumou is a defensive left-back, who can also play as a left wing-back. She has been regarded for her defending skills, as well as her technique, her tactical awareness and her agility.

Although she has been compared to Sakina Karchaoui, she also cited Marcelo as one of her footballing models.

Personal life

The youngest of six children, Belloumou is the younger sister of fellow professional footballers Badradine and Samir Belloumou. She also has three sisters, who were all handball players.

Honours

Bayern Munich

References

Uses material from the Wikipedia article Inès Belloumou, released under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.