Walid Cheddira
Moroccan footballer (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Walid Cheddira (Arabic: وليد شديرة; born 22 January 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Avellino. Born in Italy, he played for the Morocco national team.
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Cheddira with Morocco in 2023 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Walid Cheddira[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 22 January 1998 | ||
| Place of birth | Loreto, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Avellino | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2015–2017 | Loreto | 49 | (9) |
| 2017–2019 | Sangiustese | 72 | (20) |
| 2019–2021 | Parma | 0 | (0) |
| 2019–2020 | → Arezzo (loan) | 13 | (0) |
| 2020 | → Lecco (loan) | 2 | (0) |
| 2020–2021 | → Mantova (loan) | 38 | (9) |
| 2021–2023 | Bari | 65 | (23) |
| 2023–2026 | Napoli | 1 | (0) |
| 2023–2024 | → Frosinone (loan) | 36 | (7) |
| 2024–2025 | → Espanyol (loan) | 22 | (1) |
| 2025–2026 | → Sassuolo (loan) | 16 | (1) |
| 2026 | → Lecce (loan) | 17 | (3) |
| 2026– | Avellino | 0 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2022–2023 | Morocco | 6 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 25 May 2026 | |||
Early life
Cheddira was born in Loreto, Marche, Italy to parents originally from Béni Mellal, Morocco.[2][3] His father, Aziz, was also a footballer, having played for some time in the Moroccan minor leagues.[2][3]
Club career
Early career
Cheddira began playing football in his hometown team, Loreto, playing in the amateur Eccellenza league.[4][5] On 15 July 2017, he was purchased by Sangiustese, making his debut with the club in the Coppa Italia Serie D match won 3–0 against Castelfidardo, in which he scored his first goal for Sangiustese.[citation needed]
Parma
On 10 July 2019, Cheddira signed a three-year contract with Serie A club Parma,[6] who loaned him to Arezzo in Serie C on 22 July.[7] He made his professional Serie C debut on 25 August, as a starter in a game against Lecco.[8] After half a season, Parma sent Cheddira on loan to Lecco on 31 January 2020,[9] and to Mantova on 4 September.[10]
Bari
On 18 July 2021, Cheddira joined Bari on loan,[11] who made the deal permanent on 30 June 2022, signing a contract until June 2025.[12]
Napoli
On 20 August 2023, Cheddira was signed by Napoli and loaned to Frosinone for the 2023–24 season.[13] On 27 August 2024, Cheddira moved on a new loan to Espanyol in Spain.[14] On 1 September 2025, he was loaned to Sassuolo with an option to buy.[15] On 22 January 2026, Cheddira moved on a new loan to Lecce, also with an option to buy.[16]
International career
Cheddira was born in Italy and is Moroccan by descent.[17] He was called up to play for the Morocco national team for two friendlies against Chile and Paraguay on 23 and 27 September 2022, respectively;[18] he made his debut against Chile as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 win.[19]
On 10 November 2022, Cheddira was named in Morocco's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[20][21] He made his World Cup debut as an 82nd-minute substitute in the round of 16 against Spain, a penalty shoot-out victory for Morocco following a 0–0 draw after extra time.[22] In the quarter-finals against Portugal, Cheddira came on in the 65th minute, and was sent off after two yellow cards in stoppage time; Morocco won 1–0.[23][24]
Style of play
Cheddira is a varied forward, capable of playing both as a central striker and as a winger on either flank.[3] Physically strong, he has also shown that he has notable athletic skills, especially useful in pressing and making runs.[2][25][26] He also complements his team's offensive actions,[25][26] also as an assist-man,[25] and is quite incisive in front of goal, being able to finish with either direct shots or headers.[2][25]
Personal life
During his time at Bari, Cheddira was nicknamed "Ualino" or "Walino", a diminutive of the name Pasquale in the Barese dialect.[27]
Career statistics
- As of match played 17 May 2026[28]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Sangiustese | 2017–18 | Serie D | 34 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2[b] | 1 | 36 | 11 |
| 2018–19 | Serie D | 38 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2[c] | 0 | 40 | 10 | |
| Total | 72 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 76 | 21 | ||
| Arezzo (loan) | 2019–20 | Serie C | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[d] | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Lecco (loan) | 2019–20 | Serie C | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Mantova (loan) | 2020–21 | Serie C | 38 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1[e] | 0 | 39 | 9 |
| Bari | 2021–22 | Serie C | 34 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 3[f] | 0 | 37 | 6 |
| 2022–23 | Serie B | 31 | 17 | 3 | 5 | 4[g] | 0 | 38 | 22 | |
| Total | 65 | 23 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 75 | 28 | ||
| Napoli | 2023–24 | Serie A | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024–25 | Serie A | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| Total | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Frosinone (loan) | 2023–24 | Serie A | 36 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 8 |
| Espanyol (loan) | 2024–25 | La Liga | 22 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 1 |
| Sassuolo (loan) | 2025–26 | Serie A | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| Lecce (loan) | 2025–26 | Serie A | 16 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 |
| Career total | 280 | 65 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 305 | 71 | ||
- Includes Coppa Italia, Copa del Rey
- Appearances in Coppa Italia Serie D
- One appearance in Coppa Italia Serie D, one appearance in Serie D promotion play-offs
- Appearance in Coppa Italia Serie C
- Appearance in Serie C promotion play-offs
- One appearance in Coppa Italia Serie C, two appearances in Supercoppa di Serie C
- Appearances in Serie B promotion play-offs
Honours
Bari
Individual
- Serie B Player of the Month: September 2022[30]
- Coppa Italia Top scorer: 2022–23
Orders
- Order of the Throne: 2022[31]
