When you see Nabil Fekir showcasing his talent on the field, you might wonder why he hasn’t moved to one of Europe’s top clubs. Why did his Liverpool transfer in 2018 fail at the last minute despite having medicals at the club?… This article asks this important question, but first… it dives into Nabil Fikir’s background. Nabil is the eldest of four boys born to Mohamed Fekir, who worked in a metallurgy factory for many years. His family has Algerian roots, and Nabil grew up in the Jacques Monod district, which has a strong Algerian cultural influence.
His Grassroot Story Rooted in Algerian Culture: Nabil Fekir Untold
As a child, Nabil and his brothers—Tarik, Hamza, and Yassin—immersed themselves in football from an early age. They often used improvised balls made from balloons or oranges, playing day and night. Nabil recalls that at home, he was always with a ball, and he and his brothers would accidentally break things like chandeliers and vases in their relentless enthusiasm. Now, let’s dive into the heart of Nabil Fekir’s story.
Nabil Fekir Childhood Story – Early Life and Family Background:
To kick off Nabil Fekir’s biography, he was born on July 18, 1993, in Décines, a suburb of Lyon, France. He was born as the eldest of four boys to his father, Mohamed Fekir, who worked for a long time as an employee in a metallurgy factory and his mother (name unknown), who was a social worker.
Nabil Fekir Family Background:
According to our research, Nabil Fekir’s family has roots in Algeria. The Fekirs, together with other Algerians, account for a large sector of the French migrant population (between 4 to 5 million people).
The majority of this population chose to emigrate to France starting from the 1960s onwards due to political turmoil in Algeria.
That was an era that witnessed the Algerian War of Independence or the Algerian Revolution.
Nabil Fekir Biography – The Early Years:
Nabil Fekir grew up with his brothers, Tarik, Hamza, and Yassin. All brothers spent their early years in the district of Jacques Monod, an environment with a very marked Algerian culture.
Yassin (pictured below with Nabil) was born on the 5th day of May 1997. He is four years younger than his brother and the second most successful after him.
As a little boy, Nabil Fekir was among those who moulded something into a soccer ball. Sometimes, he would convert balloons or oranges into football, which he would juggle day and night.
At home, I never dropped the ball. I was always with a little balloon. With my brothers, we broke chandeliers and vases; we broke everything at home. Remembers Nabil.
Later on, as he grew past being a toddler, Nabil would spend the evenings playing football in the local fields of Décines. His determination to play soccer surely paid dividends, thus leading to a career.
Nabil Fekir Childhood Biography – Early Career:
Nabil’s passion for football saw him at age six enrolling on the roster of his town’s local youth team, AC Villeurbanne, which gave him the stage to showcase his talents. The likes of Houssem Aouar also began his football journey with AC Villeurbanne.
AC Villeurbanne was the No. 1 local academy outfit for most Algerian French migrants taking football as a career in the Décines-Charpieu commune of Lyon. Décines-Charpieu, in eastern France, is the birthplace of Malo Gusto – a teammate of Axel Disasi at Chelsea.
Taking the Next Step:
After playing for a year with AC Villeurbanne, Nabil took his next career step in the youth development centre of FC Vaulx-en-Velin, his family club.
According to SoFoot Report, it was a family-friendly club that later had his dad as its vice president and notable Franco-Algerians as representatives.
Even while playing there, Nabil, just like his teammates, all aimed high at completing their youth career at a bigger academy.
One of such was the highly competitive Lyon Academy (The city’s main club), which dominated French football at that time.
The Ticket to Lyon:
In 2003, Nabil decided to move away from Lyon’s suburbs to another club much closer to his Lyon dreams. He joined a modest club called SC Caluire, a better club that brought out and showcased his talents.
While at SC Caluire, Nabil stood out naturally among his teammates. He was someone who was reserved off-pitch, even in the lineup, but gets transformed on the pitch.
Young Nabil Fekir in his early career years.
“Fekir loved the ball more than anything. He was a kid who wanted to do everything and shoot all free kicks.
He was very fast. Technically, he was above everyone and capable of many things. For me, he was a gifted person.”
Said Samir Retbi, Caluire’s former technical manager and close friend of Nabil Fekir’s family.
As time progressed, a Twelve-year-old Nabil Fekir went on to impress in youth tournaments, one of which he bagged the prestigious best youth footballer awards.
A Twelve-year-old Nabil Fekir was holding a trophy alongside his teammate. Indeed, the French star had a solid start to his career.
Soon after the win, he got himself entangled in the hearts of scouts who took him to Lyon, where he passed their trials.
At this time, Nabil saw his dreams becoming true, and his ambition of turning pro was no longer a passing fancy.
Nabil Fekir Biography – Road to Fame Story:
When the Going Got Though:
Moving to Lyon was a dream switch for Nabil Fekir.
As he played alongside a collection of star kids and against tougher opponents, certain pressure got to him, which he couldn’t handle.
Nabil Fekir Bio – the journey to fame days.
In 2008, at the age of fourteen, things went sour for the Franco-Algerian. Nabil Fekir couldn’t cope with pressure, which turned out to be a nightmare for his young, complicated career.
Unfortunately, He got released by Lyon for being smallish (he didn’t grow up with his age) and frail and not being confident and strong. Speaking about the disappointment, Fekir once said…
“It’s always easier to assess a young person’s growth between the ages of eighteen and twenty AND NOT thirteen and fourteen. I did not go against the educators’ decision; I was surprised at the harsh decision.”
Did you know?… Other boys who were released alongside Fekir were left crying. Nabil showed maturity as he left OL laughing even while heartbroken.
Homecoming- Going Back to the Family Club:
After experiencing heartbreak, Nabil Fekir returned to his old youth club, FC Vaulx-en-Velin. This familiar environment provided him with solace and was conducive to his personal and professional growth.
He played for FC Vaulx-en-Velin for an additional three years before joining Saint-Priest, another club that showcased him in 2010.
Nabil Fekir Bio – Rise to Fame:
Remembering how he suffered humiliation, Nabil Fekir had to force his destiny with his youth club Saint-Priest. This happened while he armed himself with outright determination, confidence and patience.
The Ultimate Forgiver:
While with Saint-Priest, Young Fekir started to impress as he showed opponents how strong he was as his club’s star man.
Soon, he began to attract scouts from all over the country. Even Lyon had to summon the courage to meet the little boy they had previously kicked out of their doors. According to Fekir (SoFootReport);
I wanted to prove a point and show everyone who doubted me that they made a mistake when I was younger. My commitment to Lyon has always been strong. It’s my cherished city, and I’ve always dreamed of achieving success there.
After many thoughts and consultations, Nabil Fekir 2011 had to put grievance aside in other to forgive the club of his dreams.
Immediately, he worked back his transfer and began featuring heavily for Lyon B From 2011 to 2013 before going professional with the first team in August 2013.
The Rise and Rise:
Four years later in 2017, after Maxime Gonalons was sold to AS Roma, Nabil Fekir was named the captain of Lyon.
This feat was a testament to the impact he was had on his teammates and the club in general. Just like Lionel Messi and C Ronaldo, Nabil Fekir once held up his shirt after scoring to send a message of his football domination to Lyon’s bitter AS Saint Étienne.
Before and after winning the World Cup, Franco-Algerian’s brilliant career aroused the interest of several Premier League teams and European clubs.
Nabil Fekir, without a doubt, has proven to the world that he is the next beautiful promise of his Franco-Algerian generation after Karim Benzema and Zinedine Zidane. A name like Maghnes Akliouche, another Franco-Algerian, is on the rise. The rest, including his failed Liverpool transfer, is history.
Behold the proud World Cup winner – Nabil Fekir.
As I update this bio, I see that Nabil Fekir is considered a Real Betis Legend. The French footballer, alongside Guido Rogriguez (DM), William Carvalho, etc., helped the Spanish club to win the 2021/2022 Copa del Rey trophy.
Nabil Fekir Relationship Life:
Truth be told. Nabil Fekir is someone whose romances escape the scrutiny of the public eye simply because his love life is very private and most certainly drama-free.
At the time of writing, Nabil still refuses to disclose any clue to the media on the identity of his girlfriend or wife. Nabil Fekir only shows vacation pictures on Instagram, where he is seen alone without a girlfriend or wife.
For most footballers, having a horse ride isn’t done without photos of themselves and their wags by their sides. This, however, isn’t the case with Nabil Fekir, who takes very cropped photo shots.
Nabil Fekir Lifestyle – EXPLAINED.
Online Reports have revealed he is a secretive person who prefers to focus only on his career being public rather than his love life.
Personal Life away from Football:
Nabil Fekir’s personal life off the pitch is all about Humility and simplicity. His old youth club, Vaulx-en-Velin, which accepted him when he was heartbroken by Lyon, surely has a special place in his heart.
Did you know?… Based on simplicity, Nabil, up till the age of 17, was such a reserved boy who still lived with his parents and remained attached to his family base. Those who know him back home are aware he is also not foreign to his success.
Until the age of seventeen (the Year 2010), it remained shocking that Nabil Fekir had no cell phone despite having money to buy one. He had to call his father before buying one as revealed by Kémil Sebaa, his ex-teammate in Saint-Priest.
LifeStyle:
Nabil Fekir’s Lifestyle is one of Prudence and simplicity. Once upon a time, he was given sixty euros by his parents to buy a new pair of sneakers.
Instead of buying one, he decided to buy two and went on using it for a long time all in the name of being economical.
Even to date, after he became a millionaire, Fekir still remains the same, which shows him as being very economical.
For example, he considers the official car of Olympique Lyonnais as enough to be his only car and that it is useless for him to buy another car.
Fact Check:
Thanks for reading our Nabil Fekir Childhood Story plus Untold Biography Facts.
We strive for accuracy and fairness in the delivery of French Football Stories. Surely, you’ll enjoy reading the History of Elye Wahi and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
If you find something that doesn’t look right, please share it with us by commenting below. We’ll always value and respect your ideas.
