Nabil Bentaleb struck a vital goal for Lille in their 2-0 win at Rennes on Sunday night on his return to football after suffering a cardiac arrest in June 2024.
Subbed on in the 76th minute, he scored four minutes later for the club where he spent five years as a youth player.
Visibly elated, the 30-year-old Algerian ran to embrace the coaching staff and his teammates as Lille rejoiced at having the midfielder back on the pitch and making a difference.
"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," said Lille boss Bruno Genesio.
Bentaleb joined his hometown club Lille in 2023 on a three-year deal. Having qualified for the Europa Conference League, the club was looking for reinforcements and the Lille-born midfielder fit the bill.
However, the move suffered a delay due to issues that surfaced during the player’s medical. Lille CEO Olivier Letang noted that complementary exams were needed to complete Bentaleb’s move.
The former Tottenham and Newcastle player made 34 appearances that season but then collapsed in June last year during five-a-side football.
He was immediately hospitalised, underwent surgery and was fitted with a pacemaker-defibrillator to stabilise his cardiac activity.
The player was told his career might end prematurely while media outlets such as RMC Sport went on to suggest that the Algerian was considering retirement.
However, on Wednesday Lille announced that the French Football Federation had cleared him to play, crediting the player’s positive state of mind as the key to him returning to competitive football.
“I had expressed a few months ago the dream we had of seeing Nabil return to the field, and thanks to an admirable strength of character and determination, this dream is becoming a reality today,” said Letang ahead of the match.
The Algerian returned to training on Thursday and was part of the squad that travelled to Roazhon Park to take on Rennes.
Lille are fighting for a top-three finish to secure Champions League football and a win was crucial to keep up the pace with Nice and Monaco who sit above them in the Ligue 1 table.
With Rennes going down to 10 men in the 74th minute due to Christopher Wooh’s sending off, Genesio threw on Bentaleb and Gabriel Gundmundsson two minutes later and hoped they could capitalise on their numerical superiority.
It took Bentaleb just four minutes to score as he reacted quickly after Brice Samba's header had been saved to poke home the opening goal at the back post, prompting emotional scenes and wild celebrations.
Chuba Akpom doubled the lead six minutes later to secure all three points for Lille on a beautiful night for the club that will live long in the memory.
"It's worthy of a film," said boss Genesio. "He deserved it, because I don't believe in luck, he believed in himself. It's an incredible, wonderful story."
Elsewhere, Amine Gouiri continues to delight for Marseille as he scored a brace in their 5-1 win against Saint-Etienne on Saturday afternoon. Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi praised the player and spoke of how the Algerian forward can continue to develop.
“Gouiri is a very strong player. He needs to think of himself as a real number nine," said De Zerbi.
"I’ve spoken to him about it. He needs to specialise in this role, know where the goal is at all times and consistently finish to perfection. When he manages to improve these aspects, he will be a top European player because he is already fundamental to the team.”
Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Moroccan attacking midfielder Eliesse Ben Seghir was on the scoresheet again as Monaco thrashed Nantes 7-1 on Saturday evening, making him the club’s second top goalscorer.
Ben Seghir is having a breakthrough season on the Cote d'Azur and will likely start Tuesday evening’s Champions League match against Benfica, as the club hope to secure qualification to the last 16. The French side will need to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they travel to Lisbon for the second leg of the tie.
