Lotfi Boussouar’s journey into the CR Belouizdad first team has been shaped as much by personal hardship and determination as by his finishing ability, according to former coach Ishak Ali Moussa.
The 19-year-old forward is the latest player featured in the #TalentsAlgeriens series, which highlights 25 young footballers to watch in the Algerian Ligue 1 during the 2026/27 season. Boussouar is ranked 19th in a necessarily subjective list that considers not only natural ability, but also potential, expected importance to his club and the role the campaign could play in his development.
Boussouar had already become accustomed to moving between CR Belouizdad’s senior and youth teams when he was sent back to the under-21 side for a match in Setif.
At half-time, the young striker was struggling to hide his frustration. His team were level, but his own performance had been subdued. He appeared distracted, walked slowly and had made little impact during the opening 45 minutes.
Ali Moussa, who knew the player well, understood that Boussouar’s disappointment was linked to being returned to the youth side after spending time around the professional group. The former Algeria international and former CR Belouizdad centre-forward focused almost his entire dressing-room talk on the teenager.
His message was direct: “It is your feet that will earn you recognition.”
Boussouar’s ambition had never been in doubt. On that occasion, however, it had turned into frustration. His former coach reminded him that a place among the seniors would not be secured by reputation or outside influence, but by what he produced on the pitch.
Ali Moussa had taken responsibility for Boussouar at an early stage and followed his progress closely. Their relationship soon grew beyond the usual player-coach connection. The coach also became familiar with the family circumstances in which the striker was raised, although he has chosen not to reveal some of the details.
What he does describe is an extremely difficult family and material situation. Those challenges, he believes, forced Boussouar to mature earlier than many players his age. The teenager could have abandoned football, but continued instead.
Now established with the professionals, Boussouar has also been able to improve conditions for his family. Ali Moussa speaks about that progress with an affection that extends beyond football.
He also believes the competition Boussouar faces at CR Belouizdad should not be overstated. The striker’s character and resilience are important, but they do not fully explain his arrival in the senior squad.
Ali Moussa, himself a former number nine, values Boussouar’s profile partly because it differs from his own. The young forward is not simply a traditional target man. In the language of an old-fashioned striker, Ali Moussa says Boussouar behaves in the penalty area “like a hungry dog” – an image that reflects his constant pursuit of the ball and his instinctive movement around goal.
That hunger has become central to his development. During his time in charge of CR Belouizdad last season, Sead Ramovic also sought to expand the range of qualities Boussouar could offer the team.
For a forward who has already had to overcome difficult circumstances, the 2026/27 campaign represents another chance to turn perseverance into goals and establish himself more firmly at CR Belouizdad.