Mohamed Bachir Belloumi has made a striking start to life in the Premier League, completing more dribbles than any other player in a comparison group that includes several of the competition’s leading attacking players.
The Hull City winger has completed 19 of the 29 dribbles he has attempted since the start of the season, giving him a success rate of 65.5%.
Among players to have attempted at least 15 dribbles in the Premier League this season, no-one has matched Belloumi’s total of successful dribbles or his percentage. Savinho has completed 18, with Mohammed Kudus on 17 and Julio Enciso on 16. Jeremy Doku and Iliman Ndiaye have each recorded 15.
Omar Marmoush, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers are also behind the Algeria international in the rankings.
The statistic underlines the individual quality Belloumi showed in Portugal and the Championship before moving into England’s top flight. The 24-year-old has shown an ability to beat his direct opponent and quickly create an advantage for his team.
His progress is particularly notable in a league where players are given little time on the ball. Space disappears quickly, physical contests are constant and mistakes can be punished immediately. Belloumi has retained his willingness to take on defenders while adding a greater level of effectiveness to his play.
The son of Lakhdar Belloumi has also made a direct contribution to Hull City’s results. After eight matchdays, he has scored three goals and provided two assists.
His two-goal performance against Chelsea attracted attention, while he also scored against Everton. With five goal contributions in 600 minutes, Belloumi is both Hull City’s leading scorer and leading assist provider in the league.
That combination of flair and end product has made his opening months especially encouraging. Belloumi is increasingly showing that he can recognise when to dribble, when to combine with team-mates and when to finish an attack. His runs are not simply designed to produce eye-catching moments; they are beginning to have a decisive influence.
The development also offers encouragement to Algeria. The national side has frequently had technically gifted wide players, although not all have converted their ability into consistent goals and assists.
Belloumi has carried his club form into international football. He scored twice in his first three appearances under Brahim Hemdani and has emerged as one of the leading positives of the team’s new cycle.
He is not, however, the only player competing to succeed Riyad Mahrez. Anis Hadj Moussa has an advantage through his European experience and ability to beat defenders, while Fares Ghedjemis is pushing strongly after his performances in Italy.
The three wingers are challenging one another from a distance, with their club form helping to maintain competition for places. That gives Hemdani several profiles capable of raising each other’s standards in a position that had caused Algeria concern only a few months ago.
Comparisons with his celebrated father remain premature. Mohamed Bachir Belloumi is now establishing his own career, and greater consistency could take him further than initially expected if he continues to combine his dribbling with goals and assists.
