Quick Facts
Biography
Karim Matmour (Arabic: كريم مطمور) (born 25 June 1985) is an Algerian professional footballer. He is currently playing for 2. Bundesliga side 1860 Munich.
An Algerian international since 2007, Matmour featured at the 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2010 Africa Cup of Nations. As of July 2013, he has won 30 international caps and scored 2 goals.
Club career
Matmour began his playing career at his hometown club of RC Strasbourg. After coming up through the academy team, he was not offered a professional contract. He subsequently briefly played for the amateur side Vauban Strasbourg before leaving to Germany to join SC Freiburg's reserve side. He was eventually promoted to the senior side, where he made 80 league appearances in three seasons in the 2. Bundesliga.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
On 4 June 2008, Matmour joined newly promoted Bundesliga club Borussia Mönchengladbach on a four-year contract, with the team paying his former club SC Freiburg €2 million for the transfer.
After Matmour's World Cup performances a number of clubs had shown interest including premier league duo Bolton Wanderers and Sunderland.
On 1 August 2010, during Mönchengladbach's arranged friendly match versus Liverpool as part of their 110th anniversary celebrations at Borussia Park, Matmour took advantage of some poor play by Daniel Ayala inside the area and produced a powerful finish in the eighth minute. They won the contest thanks to Matmour's goal, with the final score being 1–0.
On 30 January 2011, Matmour came on as a substitute for Mike Hanke in the forty-sixth minute in a league fixture against Eintracht Frankfurt. In the second half, Matmour came close to scoring with a header which bounced off the top of the crossbar. He set up the only goal scored in the encounter which was a cross from the left side to Igor de Camargo, who put the ball away inside the far right post.
Eintracht Frankfurt
On 1 July 2011, Matmour signed a one-year contract, with Eintracht holding the option of a further two-year extension. The two clubs agreed not to release the transfer fee, therefore keeping it undisclosed. Eintracht chairman Heribert Bruchhagen said "In signing Karim Matmour we've found the optimal solution for the vacant slot on the right of the attack, in line with (coach) Armin Veh's wishes", about the signing of Matmour.
Al-Arabi SC
On 17 June 2015, he signed a two-year deal with Al-Arabi of Kuwait. He made his debut for the club in a 10-1 Win against Al-Tadamun SC with scoring the 4th goal of the game.
After scoring 2 goals in as many matches in the Kuwait Federation Cup, Matmour asked Al-Arabi to terminate his contract and filed a complaint against them to FIFA, citing financial aspects. He was subsequently released by Al-Arabi on 31 October 2015.
Huddersfield Town
On 20 January 2016, after a trial period, he joined English Football League Championship side Huddersfield Town on a contract until the end of the 2015–16 season. He made his début for the Terriers as a substitute in the 2–1 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at Falmer Stadium on 23 January 2016. He made his first start for the Terriers in the 3–2 defeat against Cardiff City on 30 January 2016. Matmour scored his first goal for Huddersfield in the West Yorkshire derby against Leeds United in Huddersfield's 4–1 victory on 19 March 2016. At the end of the 2015/16 season Matmour was released from his contract after the club refused to activate a clause in his contract to extend his stay in Yorkshire for another year.
1860 Munich
At the start of the 2016–17 season Matmour signed a two-year-contract with German 2. Bundesliga club 1860 Munich.
Statistics
- As of 29 June 2016
| Club performance | League | Cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Club | League | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| 2005–06 | SC Freiburg | 2. Bundesliga | 16 | 2 | - | - | 16 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | 31 | 3 | 2 | 0 | - | 33 | 3 | |||
| 2007–08 | 32 | 5 | 2 | 1 | - | 34 | 6 | |||
| 2008–09 | Borussia Mönchengladbach | Bundesliga | 34 | 3 | 1 | 0 | - | 35 | 3 | |
| 2009–10 | 25 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | 27 | 1 | |||
| 2010–11 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | 20 | 0 | |||
| 2011–12 | Eintracht Frankfurt | 2. Bundesliga | 28 | 6 | 2 | 0 | - | 30 | 6 | |
| 2012–13 | Bundesliga | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 22 | 1 | ||
| 2013–14 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern | 2. Bundesliga | 32 | 3 | 5 | 2 | - | 37 | 4 | |
| 2014–15 | 24 | 2 | 3 | 0 | - | 27 | 2 | |||
| 2015–16 | Al-Arabi | Kuwaiti Premier League | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | - | 2 | 2 | |
| 2015–16 | Huddersfield Town | Football League Championship | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 16 | 1 | |
| 2016–17 | 1860 Munich | 2. Bundesliga | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | |
| Career total | 280 | 29 | 19 | 3 | - | - | 299 | 32 | ||
International career
He received first call up to Algeria against Libya, 6 February 2007.
In December 2009, Matmour was selected by Saâdane to play in the 2010 African Cup of Nations hosted in Angola.
On 3 May 2012, Matmour announced that he would be taking a break from international play to focus on his club career.
International goals
- Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first. "Score" column indicates the score after the player's goal.
| Goal # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 June 2009 | Stade Mustapha Tchaker, Blida |  Egypt | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification (CAF) |
| 2 | 24 January 2010 | Estádio Nacional do Chiazi, Cabinda |  Ivory Coast | 1–1 | 3–2 | 2010 African Cup of Nations |
Personal life
Since 2009 Matmour is married to Algerian-German singer Manel Filali, famous for her work with Anne Ross in the pop duo Milk & Honey.