Abdelaziz Kahia faces defining season as CR Belouizdad’s midfield prospect

Abdelaziz Kahia is entering a crucial second season with the CR Belouizdad first team as he looks to turn his reputation as one of Algeria’s brightest young midfielders into a regular starting role.

The 20-year-old, born on 9 April 2006, is currently taking part in the Mediterranean Games with Brahim Hemdani’s Algeria Under-21 side. He is the 24th player featured in the #TalentsAlgeriens series, which identifies 25 young footballers to watch in the 2026/27 Ligue 1 season.

The ranking is necessarily subjective. It considers not only a player’s natural ability, but also their potential, expected role at club level and the importance the coming campaign could have in their development.

Kahia’s most striking quality is not immediately obvious in the way speed, strength or dribbling can be. His strength comes before the action itself. He appears able to understand what a situation requires before it has fully developed, an instinct that has already attracted the attention of several coaches.

Sead Ramovic saw that potential at close quarters during his time in charge of CR Belouizdad in 2025/26. The Bosnian coach gave opportunities to several young players during the season, including Kahia, Lotfi Boussouar and Abdelmalek Kelalech. Their progress has not followed the same path, but Kahia was among those to receive first-team playing time.

Ramovic viewed him primarily as a number six, while also highlighting his tactical intelligence. One training-ground incident helped explain why the midfielder eventually earned the former coach’s trust: Kahia was not satisfied simply with knowing what his manager wanted him to do. He wanted to understand the wider reasoning behind the instruction.

That appetite for detail is unusual in a player of his age and has been central to the positive assessments surrounding him.

However, there is no complete agreement over where Kahia should play. Arafat Mezouar, a former Algeria international, CRB figure and current assistant to Nabil Maaloul, describes him as “a slightly advanced box-to-box midfielder”. Ishak Ali Moussa, who coached him with the CR Belouizdad Under-20 team, sees him operating even further forward.

The different descriptions number six, box-to-box midfielder and number 10 point to the same conclusion. Kahia cannot be defined solely by his position. His main value lies in reading the game, directing play and controlling its tempo.

Abdelkader Bouchaala, a former CRB youth coach who is now with MC Alger, also stresses that ability. Kahia can play forward while retaining control of possession, which is why several of his former coaches believe he offers more than the qualities of a purely defensive midfielder.

Sofiane Benkhelifa, who has worked with USM Alger and is well acquainted with Algeria’s emerging talent, similarly identifies his understanding of the game as a defining feature.

The question is no longer whether Kahia possesses ability. Those who have worked with him consistently point to his intelligence, technical control and discipline.

The greater challenge is finding regular football.

Benkhelifa believes Kahia has had “the misfortune of finding himself in a team where there was competition”. At CR Belouizdad, where immediate results can limit the opportunities available to developing players, establishing a lasting place in the midfield rotation is difficult.

Bouchaala believes a loan move could provide a solution. He says Mounir Zeghdoud had made enquiries about Kahia in connection with Ben Aknoun and considers a temporary move a possible route to more playing time. Ali Moussa reaches a broadly similar conclusion.

Ramovic also believes the next stage of Kahia’s development will require greater responsibility. The former CRB manager identified a physical area for improvement too, calling for more intensity during transitions an important quality for a modern midfielder expected to cover ground when possession changes hands.

Kahia already possesses qualities that are difficult to teach: composure, awareness and a feel for the rhythm of a match. His task now is to gain the elements that only regular football can provide.

His second senior season at CR Belouizdad will show whether he can make that step. His precise position may remain open to debate until he has the chance to settle the argument himself on the pitch.

The role can still change. Time, however, is moving quickly. At 20, Kahia can no longer afford to wait indefinitely for his opportunity on the CRB bench.