Anis Hadj Moussa plays football in the Etihad Stadium with the flair of a real square football player. The Paris-born Algerian was not restrained by overzealous coaches in his youth. He was only scouted for Lens training at the age of sixteen. Hadj Moussa plays his first professional matches at the third (Olympic Charleroi) and second (Patro Eisden) level in Belgium. His tactical assignments at that time? “Most of the time I was allowed to wait for the ball and do my thing,” said Hadj Moussa.
It was only at Vitesse that Hadj Moussa was confronted with the laws of top football for the first time. In Arnhem he speaks about the importance of ‘occasional defense’ and adding efficiency. There is a big difference between word and deed with the pingel box. ‘When he loses the ball, he does not do enough in transition. He is not doing enough for the team at the moment,’ grumbled coach Edward Sturing in April. ‘He is a great player with the ball, but without the ball I still have problems with him.’
At Feyenoord, Hadj Moussa shows a radically different face in the Champions League. Nine key moments against Manchester City underline the development of the dribbler.
Belgium
