Ziri Hammar, at 18 years old, made his debut last weekend in Ligue 1 with AS Nancy Lorraine against PSG, despite the 1-0 victory for the Parisian club. In an interview with Foot-africain.com, the young attacker shared his thoughts on the experience and discussed his connection with Algeria and the upcoming CAN.
“I was happy to play this match against PSG; I was motivated because I come from the Paris region. Playing against Paris as a striker was the best way to improve my skills. It was a chance worth seizing,” Hammar expressed.
Reflecting on his performance, he mentioned, “I think I have gained some points, but not the confidence yet. The coach is very demanding of the young players, and even more so of me. He always told me that I had a lot of qualities, but for him, I have to continue to work even harder because he is a hard worker.”
Speaking about his national team experience, Hammar explained, “I was supposed to play in the U17 CAN, but unfortunately, I missed it due to a knee injury. Later, I joined the selection for the World Cup, but I have bad memories of it. I have always been a starter in the national team and have always fought to be present in the Algerian team, to the point of getting angry with my club. But I made a choice of heart, that of playing for Algeria.”
He also expressed his connection with the Algerian national team, saying, “I follow the news of the national team, plus I have quite a few friends within the team, like Rais Mbolhi, who is practically my neighbor. Ryad Boudebouz is a good friend; I get along very well with him.”
