"At Marseille, Lyon and Lille, I play": Belhanda confident he still has the level for Ligue 1

The 36-year-old midfielder, now at Al-Sailiya in Qatar, says he has the quality to play in Ligue 1 and claims he tried to return to France but received no offers.

Younès Belhanda, the former Montpellier champion who last played in Ligue 1 with Nice in 2016–17, has expressed confidence he could still perform at the top level of French football. Now 36 and playing in Qatar for Al-Sailiya after spells in Ukraine, Germany and Turkey, Belhanda told the Riolo Club podcast that he attempted to engineer a return to Ligue 1 when his contract ended but received no offers from French clubs.

"I have the level to play in Ligue 1, not Ligue 2," Belhanda said, ruling out a move to his former club Montpellier, now in the second division. He insisted that top-flight sides would benefit from his presence: "At Marseille, I play. At Lyon, I play. At Lille, I play. All the teams." The Morocco international, who won 59 caps, suggested that even Marseille's attacking options would be strengthened by his addition.