Nîmes Olympique: midfielder Salim Akkal second recruit for the Crocos

Salim Akkal had a full season in 2023-2024 with Le Puy, notably playing in a quarter-final of the Coupe de France against Rennes (3-1 defeat). MAXPPP – Thierry Larret

After left back Mehdi Beneddine, Nîmes Olympique signed a second player from Puy Foot 43 Auvergne (N2), midfielder Salim Akkal, 24, who signed up for two seasons.

Andrés Iniesta – "He is classy, ​​elegant on the pitch, very responsive in gathering information" – , Luka Modric or Nabil Bentaleb, who he worked alongside at Angers, are his role models. The relay midfielder Salim Akkal, 24, who played at Puy Foot 43 Auvergne (N2) last season, is the second recruit of Nîmes Olympique. Like left-back Mehdi Beneddine, his partner in Haute-Loire, the Franco-Algerian signed a two-year contract with the Crocodiles.

He kicked his first balls alongside Pape Gueye

Born in Blanc-Mesnil (Seine-Saint-Denis) where he kicked his first balls alongside Marseillais Pape Gueye, Salim Akkal did all his training at SCO Angers, joined in 2016, at the age 16 years old. His performances at the Angevin training center allowed him to become an U18 international (2 selections against Turkey and Greece) and to play in particular with Pierre Kalulu, Niels Nkounkou, Melvin Bard and even Amine Adli.

𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗺 𝗔𝗸𝗸𝗮𝗹, deuxième Ponot chez les Crocos. Le Puy Foot 43 informe du départ de son milieu de terrain au @nimesolympique (National).

Merci Salim et bonne continuation à toi ! 👋ℹ️ https://t.co/DgXl1gWjpT#LePuyFoot43 🔵⚪ pic.twitter.com/eVdb0OyJu4

— Le Puy Foot 43 (@lepuyfoot) June 21, 2024

A short experience in Algeria

At the end of his professional trainee contract, in 2020, he decided to go abroad and signed up for USM Algiers ( Algerian D1). An adventure that turns short, ending seven months later. A complicated period away from his family, a period where he takes no pleasure.

"I joined the USMA via Antar Yahia, a great man, I signed for several seasons. But it didn't work, there were too many statuses there, he explained to L’Team last February. By resigning, I chose passion rather than money, I earned a very good living at USMA, almost 6,000 ;€ net per month."

In Angers, training but no professional match

He returns to Angers to initially stay in shape, before rejoining the SCO reserve team and playing matches in National 2 during the SCO reserve team. rsquo;year 2022-2023 (23 appearances, 2 goals, 1 assist). If he participates in several training sessions with the pros, if he is summoned to the group for a trip to Brest in January 2023, he does not participate in any meetings with the team 1 of the SCO.

A full season at Le Puy

Last summer, he left Angers for Le Puy (National 2) and spent a full season (25 matches including 21 as a starter, 1 goal). With the Ponots, Salim Akkal finished second in group A of National 2 and played in a quarter-final of the Coupe de France lost 3-1 to Rennes.