Walid Cheddira

Walid Cheddira
Cheddira with Morocco in 2023
Personal information
Full name Walid Cheddira[1]
Date of birth (1998-01-22) 22 January 1998
Place of birth Loreto, Italy
Height 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position Forward
Team information
Current team
 Lecce
(on loan from Napoli)
Number 99
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– Napoli 1 (0)
2023–2024 → Frosinone (loan) 36 (7)
2024–2025 → Espanyol (loan) 22 (1)
2025–2026 → Sassuolo (loan) 16 (1)
2026– → Lecce (loan) 0 (0)
International career‡
2022– Morocco 6 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17 January 2026
‡ National team caps and goals as of 17 July 2023 (UTC)

Walid Cheddira (Arabic: وليد شديرة; born 22 January 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie A club Lecce on loan from Napoli. Born in Italy, he plays for the Morocco national team.

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.

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 21 September 2025[28]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 1
Career total 251 61 10 6 13 1 274 68
  1. ^ Includes Coppa Italia, Copa del Rey
  2. ^ Appearances in Coppa Italia Serie D
  3. ^ One appearance in Coppa Italia Serie D, one appearance in Serie D promotion play-offs
  4. ^ Appearance in Coppa Italia Serie C
  5. ^ Appearance in Serie C promotion play-offs
  6. ^ One appearance in Coppa Italia Serie C, two appearances in Supercoppa di Serie C
  7. ^ Appearances in Serie B promotion play-offs

Honours

Bari

Individual

Orders

References

  1. ^ "FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Squad list: Morocco (MAR)" (PDF). FIFA. 15 November 2022. p. 19. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Gianluca Scaduto (12 September 2022). "Cheddira, da Bari al sogno Mondiale". Tuttosport (in Italian). Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Matteo Albanese (22 September 2022). "Walid Cheddira, le origini: «Con tanto lavoro e umiltà è diventato grande»". Cronache di spogliatoio (in Italian). Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  4. ^ Roberto Carulli. "Il Circolo dei Mondiali 2022 - Inchieste: Walid Cheddira". RaiPlay (in Italian). RAI. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  5. ^ Walid Cheddira at TuttoCalciatori.net (in Italian)
  6. ^ "Luca Zamparo and Walid Cheddira Join Parma, Emmanuele Matino Signs for Cavese on-loan" (Press release). Parma. 10 July 2019. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Cheddira e Madonna vestono l'amaranto" (Press release) (in Italian). Arezzo. 22 July 2019. Archived from the original on 3 August 2019. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Arezzo v Lecco game report". Soccerway. 25 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Comunicato Ufficiale: Walid Cheddira nuovo giocatore della Calcio Lecco 1912" (Press release) (in Italian). Lecco. 31 January 2020. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
  10. ^ "i Arricchisce L'Attacco Biancorosso: Walid Cheddira È Un Nuovo del Mantova" (Press release) (in Italian). Mantova. 4 September 2020. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Benvenuto Walid Cheddira !" (in Italian). Bari. 18 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Bentornato Walid 'Walo' Cheddira !" (in Italian). Bari. 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Napoli Sign Cheddira and Loan Him to Forsinone". Napoli. 20 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Cheddira, nuevo jugador blanquiazul" [Cheddira, new blue and white player] (in Spanish). RCD Espanyol. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  15. ^ "Walid Cheddira, benvenuto in neroverde!" [Walid Cheddira, welcome to the black and green!] (in Italian). US Sassuolo Calcio. 1 September 2025. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  16. ^ "Cheddira in giallorosso" (in Italian). US Lecce. 22 January 2026. Retrieved 22 January 2026.
  17. ^ Trentini, Narciso (29 May 2022). "Walid Chedira, il giovane calciatore marocchino che ha sfondato a Bari, in Italia". Gossip Italiano (in Italian). Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  18. ^ Franceschi, Giovanni De (13 September 2022). "Cheddira convocato dalla Nazionale sogna il Mondiale in Qatar "Un onore, una gioia immensa"". Cronache Maceratesi (in Italian). Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  19. ^ "المنتخب الوطني يفوز وديا على تشيلي بهدفين نظيفين في أول اختبار لوليد الركراكي". Cawalisse | كواليس اليوم (in Arabic). 23 September 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  20. ^ "Morocco World Cup 2022 squad: Who's in and who's out?". Goal. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  21. ^ "Moroccan coach unveils list of 26 Atlas Lions in 2022 World Cup". HESPRESS English. 10 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  22. ^ "Morocco vs Spain, Live Score, Lineups, Head to Head, Match Timeline, Stats, Result, Venue, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022". Indiatimes.com. 6 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  23. ^ Gleeson, Mark (10 December 2022). "Morocco write World Cup history as they reach semi-finals". Reuters. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  24. ^ "Morocco vs Portugal". OneFootball. 10 December 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  25. ^ a b c d Marco D'Ottavi (11 October 2022). "Walid Cheddira è la più grande sorpresa della B". L'Ultimo Uomo (in Italian). Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  26. ^ a b Francesco Paolo Giordano (13 October 2022). "Walid Cheddira, esagerato". Rivista Undici (in Italian). Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  27. ^ Federica Massari (18 August 2023). "Il soprannome di Walid Cheddira che piace ai tifosi del Napoli". webnapoli24.com (in Italian). Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  28. ^ W. Cheddira at Soccerway
  29. ^ "Serie C - Group C". Soccer 24. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  30. ^ "Le Marocain Walid Cheddira élu joueur du mois en Serie B".
  31. ^ "Les dix types de wissams royaux accordés par Mohammed VI". Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  • Media related to Walid Cheddira at Wikimedia Commons
  • Walid Cheddira at Soccerway
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