Mohamed Belloumi: Hull City's Rising Star in the Premier League
Mohamed Belloumi is lighting up the Premier League with Hull City – and his father is convinced this is only a stop on the way to the very top.
The 24-year-old has been the unexpected star of a Tigers side that has crashed into the top flight with energy and no little swagger. Fresh from promotion, Hull were widely tipped to struggle. Instead, they sit eighth after five games, with eight points on the board and a new No.10 turning heads across England.
At the heart of it all is Belloumi. Two goals at Stamford Bridge in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea earlier this month announced him to a wider audience, the kind of statement performance that sticks in the memory. He already has two assists as well, numbers that only tell part of the story of a playmaker who has carried his Championship promise straight into the Premier League.
This time last year, that leap felt a long way off.
From injury setbacks to Premier League spark
Belloumi’s 2025-26 campaign in the Championship was stop-start, his progress constantly checked by injury. He managed only 25 league appearances, frustrating for a player desperate to prove he belonged in English football.
When it mattered most, though, he delivered. In the playoff semi-final against Millwall, he scored and assisted in a decisive display that helped push Sergej Jakirovic’s side towards the top tier. Those nights hinted at a bigger stage. This season, he has stepped onto it.
Versatile, sharp between the lines and increasingly influential, Belloumi has elevated his game since promotion. That rise has now taken him beyond club level.
This month, he received his first call-up to the Algeria national team.
A famous name, and a father’s verdict
For Algerian football, the surname Belloumi carries weight. Mohamed’s father, Lakhdar Belloumi, is a legend: 147 caps between 1978 and 1989, two World Cups, and a brief spell in charge of the national team in 2004 and 2005.
He has watched his son’s journey through injuries, criticism and doubt. Now, he believes Mohamed is ready for a bigger stage – a much bigger one.
Speaking to Win Win, the elder Belloumi did not hide his ambition for his son.
“All his focus right now is on Hull City. If we receive any major offer, we wouldn’t object to him leaving.
“With all due respect to Hull City, but at this level, he deserves to play for a bigger club competing for domestic and continental titles, such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille and Manchester City.”
That is not a subtle list. It is a roll call of European royalty, plus one of France’s traditional giants. Lakhdar Belloumi is effectively placing his son’s ceiling among the game’s elite.
Answering the critics
The father also lifted the lid on the early years of Mohamed’s career, when the Belloumi name brought as much suspicion as opportunity.
“Mohamed dreamed of turning pro, and his goal was to play in Europe,” he said. “So I told him, ‘Do whatever you want’. We took the criticism he faced during his time in Algeria in stride, as if it were meaningless.
“My son has always strived to achieve his dream, and I think what he’s accomplished now is the best response to all those who criticised him, claiming he was playing solely because of his name.”
For Mohamed, the journey has been as much about proving he belongs on merit as it has been about climbing the ladder.
“He always tells me, ‘I’ve fulfilled your dream of turning pro, playing abroad, and competing at the highest level’. This is just the beginning, God willing, he’ll continue.
“Mohamed’s performance with Hull City earned him a spot on the Algerian national team in style. God willing, he’ll do Algeria proud in upcoming competitions and keep the Belloumi name alive in Arab and world football.”
Hull’s dilemma
Hull City, for now, hold the cards. Belloumi still has three years left on his contract at the MKM Stadium, and the club are not planning to part with one of their most important players any time soon.
Their best chance of keeping him is simple: stay in the Premier League and build on this unexpectedly strong start. Relegation would invite predators. Survival, and perhaps something more, might just delay the inevitable.
For the moment, Belloumi’s attention shifts away from Hull. He joins up with Algeria for the international break, with the prospect of a debut for the Desert Warriors on Friday against Zambia in their opening Africa Cup of Nations qualifier.
A breakout month in the Premier League. A first call-up for his country. A father talking openly about Barcelona, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City.
If this is “just the beginning”, as Lakhdar Belloumi insists, the real question is how long Hull can hang on to the player at the centre of it all.
