Nabil Bentaleb marked his return to football with a remarkable goal against Rennes.
As reported by BBC, the former Tottenham midfielder scored in Lille’s 2-0 win on Sunday, February 16, 2025, in his first match since cardiac arrest last year.
The Algeria’s No.19 suffered from a heart attack in June 2024, after which made many fans believe that his career could be over.
However, Nabil was cleared to play by the French Football Federation on Wednesday, February 12, and scored just four minutes after coming on in the second half at Roazho Park.
He celebrated the historic moment by running to the Lille's bench, where he got surrounded by his team-mates and coaching staff.
LOSC Lille’s manager Bruno Génésio, while admiring Nabil shared, "It’s worthy of a film."
He added, "He deserved it, because I don’t believe in luck, he believed in himself."
While singing the No. 6’s praises, Bruno noted, "Nabil’s goal put us on cloud nine, it’s hard to describe. It could be a moment that will mark the end of our season, that will remain engraved in the history of the club, of this season – and in Nabil’s mind, of course."
Former Arsenal forward Chuba Akpom sealed the win at 86 minutes with a goal, sending Lille to fifth in Ligue 1.
Nabil Bentaleb started his senior career at Tottenham in 2013, making 46 Premier League appearance, before joining Schalke in 2017, and after a brief loan spell at Newcastle, he joined Lille in 2023.
