Nadjim "Jimmy" Abdou (born 13 July 1984) is a former professional footballer who played as a midfielder.
Starting his career in his hometown club of Martigues, Abdou later went on to play in Ligue 1 with Sedan before moving to England with Plymouth Argyle. From 2008 to 2017, he played for Millwall, where he scored nine goals in 342 appearances. In 2018, Abdou returned to Martigues.
Born in France, Abdou is Comorian through his parents. He made his international debut for the Comoros in October 2010, and played for his nation at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Club career Early career Born in Martigues, Bouches-du-Rhône, Abdou started out with his home-town club Martigues, first joining the club when he was seven years old. After progressing through the ranks, Abdou was promoted to the first team in 2002 and spent one season with them, making twenty–six appearances and scoring two times.
Sedan After one season at Martigues, Abdou joined Sedan on 25 July 2003.
Abdou appeared in the Sedan's first team as an unused substitute in the opening game of the season, in a 2–0 loss against Istres. Afterwards, Abdou spent six months, playing for the club's reserve side before getting his first team opportunity. On 6 December 2003, he made his Sedan debut, starting the whole game, in a 0–0 draw against Grenoble. At the end of the 2003–04 season, Abdou went on to make eighteen appearances in all competitions.
In the 2004–05 season, Abdou became a first team regular for Sedan and featured in a number of matches throughout the season. Abdou then scored his first goal for the club on 12 November 2004, in a 2–0 win over Montpellier. For his performance, he signed a two–year contract with Sedan the following month. His second goal for the club came on 25 January 2005, in a 2–1 win over Amiens. At the end of the 2004–05 season, Abdou went on to make thirty–six appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
In the 2005–06 season, Abdou found himself behind the pecking order in the first team and came on as a substitute in number of matches, due to his poor performances. This also combined with his own injury concern. At the end of the 2005–06 season, making fifteen appearances, the club was promoted to Ligue 1 after three seasons in Ligue 2.
In the 2006–07 season, Abdou missed the first half of the season, due to being suspended and playing in the club's reserve side. On 18 November 2006, he made his first Ligue 1 appearance of the season, coming on as a substitute for Jérôme Le Moigne in the 49th minute, and scored an own goal, in a 1–0 loss against Lyon. Abdou became a first team regular for Sedan since returning from the sideline. However, later in the season, he soon found himself out of the first team, due to being suspended. Abdou played one season in Ligue 1 in the club finished in 19th place and were relegated.
Following the club's relegation, Abdou was released by Sedan. He then joined Clermont on a free transfer, signing a one–year contract. However, the move was denied by the club, themselves.
Plymouth Argyle After a trial in the summer of 2007, Abdou joined English Football League Championship club Plymouth Argyle, signing on a free transfer on 20 August until the end of the 2007–08 season.
He made his first league appearance on 25 August 2007 as a 62nd-minute substitute in a 3–2 defeat at Barnsley. However, Abdou found himself out of the first team between September and November, due to strong competitions in the club's midfield position. On 6 November 2007, he returned to the first team from the sidelines, starting a match before being substituted in the 58th minute, in a 1 –1 draw against Colchester United. Since returning to the first team from the sidelines, Abdou regained his first team place for Plymouth Argyle and began playing in the right–back position for the rest of the season. He scored his first goal in English football against Scunthorpe United in a 3–0 win at Home Park on 1 December 2007. As a result, Abdou was nominated for the club's Player of the Month for December but lost out to Sylvan Ebanks-Blake. He then scored his second goal for the club in the third round of the FA Cup on 5 January 2008, in a 3–2 win over Hull City. At the end of the 2007–08 season, Abdou went on to make thirty–three appearances and scoring two times in all competitions.
After contract discussions in April 2008, Abdou left Plymouth in June 2008 after turning down the club's contract offer and signed for Millwall on 3 July 2008.
Millwall Abdou made his Millwall debut, starting a match before being substituted in the 75th minute, in a 4–3 loss against Oldham Athletic in the opening game of the season. Since joining the club, he quickly became a fan favourite among Millwall's supporters. Abdou's signature has turned out to be something of a coup for manager Kenny Jackett. In spite of one or two short-term injuries, Abdou has been successful at the club, holding down a regular first team slot in central midfield when fit. On 11 October 2008, he scored his first Millwall goal, in a 3–1 win against Tranmere Rovers. However, in a 1–0 win over Hereford United on 28 October 2008, Abdou was sent–off in the 49th minute for a "double-footed lunge" on Clint Easton and served a two match suspension. He made his return from suspension on 22 November 2008, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 0–0 draw against Leyton Orient. At the beginning of January, Abdou missed three matches through injury and made his return on 17 January 2009, coming on as a substitute in the second half, in a 1–0 win over Tranmere Rovers. He later scored twice for the club, in a 4–2 loss against Bristol Rovers on 18 April 2009. Abdou scored the winning goal in the League One Playoff Semi-finals against Leeds United at Elland Road on 14 May 2009 to send them to Wembley for their first ever playoff final, which Millwall lost 3–2 to Scunthorpe United. Abdou later reflected that scoring against Leeds United was a turning point of his career. After missing out on promotion during the 2008–09 season, he went on to make forty–three appearances and scoring four times in his first season at the club.
At the start of the 2009–10 season, Abdou scored in Millwall's first game of the season against Southampton, with a header, it turned out to be his only goal of the season. However, shortly after, he suffered an injury during a 4–0 win over AFC Bournemouth and was out for weeks. Abdou made his return from injury, starting the whole game, in a 1–1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion on 29 August 2009. His performance saw him signed a contract extension with the club, keeping him until 2013. During a 4–4 draw against local rivals Charlton Athletic on 19 December 2009, Abdou was sent–off for a professional foul in the 37th minute. Charlton successfully converted the resulting penalty. But he did not serve a match ban and returned in a next match on 26 December 2009 against Norwich City, which they lost 2–0. Abdou continued to establish himself in the first team, playing in the midfield position for the rest of the season and later helped play a big part in earning Millwall's promotion later in the 2009–10 season. The club was eventually promoted after beating Swindon Town in the play-off final. At the 2009–10 season, Abdou went on to make fifty–two appearances and scoring once in all competition.
However, Abdou missed the opening game of the season, due to the injury he sustained in a friendly match against Hearts. On 14 August 2010, Abdou made his first appearance of the 2010–11 season, starting the whole game, in a 4–0 win over Hull City. Two weeks later on 28 August 2010, he set up a goal for Liam Trotter to score the club's second goal of the game, in a 3–1 win over Coventry City. Abdou continued to establish himself in the first team, playing in the midfield position for Millwall. However, he sustained a knee injury during a 2–1 loss against Reading on 22 February 2011 and was out for a month. On 16 April 2011, Abdou returned from injury, starting the match before being substituted at half time, in a 2–1 loss against Coventry City, having appeared in the substitute bench for the last two matches. At the end of the 2010–11 season, he went on to make thirty–six appearances in all competitions.
The start of the 2011–12 season saw Abdou receiving his playing time, coming from the substitute bench. He soon continued to establish himself in the first team, playing in the midfield position for Millwall. Throughout the 2011–12 season, Abdou faced his own injury concerns on three separate occasions. Despite this, he continued to be featured in the first team for the club and was praised by manager Jackett. In April 2012, Abdou was named as the club's Player of the Year for the 2011–12 season after a vote by Millwall's supporters. Upon hearing the award, he said: "I would like to thank all the fans who voted for me, and my team mates as well because this is a team game". At the end of the 2011–12 season, Abdou made forty–five appearances in all competitions. Shortly after, Millwall began talks with the player over a new contract. Following this, it was reported that Abdou received treatment over his injury he sustained over the summer.
In the 2012–13 season, Abdou continued to establish himself in the first team, playing in the midfield position for Millwall and formed a partnership with Josh Wright. During a match against Bolton Wanderers on 6 October 2012, he suffered ankle injury and played through the game, as the club won 2–1. Abdou soon recovered after a two weeks international break and started the whole game, in a 2–2 draw against rivals, Crystal Palace on 20 October 2012. Following this, Abdou signed a two–year contract with Millwall, keeping him until 2015. After missing two matches in mid–December, due to suspension and given a compassionate leave, Abdou then appointed as a captain in a FA Cup match, in a 1–0 win over Preston North End. After the match, he said that given the captaincy was an honour for him. He again captained the club once again on 16 February 2013 against Luton Town in the fifth round of the FA Cup and beat them 3–0 to progress to the next round. Three days later on 19 February 2013, Abdou captained Millwall for the third time this season, in a 5–1 loss against Peterborough United on 16 February 2013. Manager Jackett mentioned Abdou in the post-game interview, quoting: "You could see the danger from the sidelines – not enough players on the pitch could sense that danger and were able to react or cut the ball out – probably Jimmy Abdou apart." After appearing two matches as an unused substitute in early–April, he scored on his return to the starting line-up, in a 2–1 loss against Sheffield Wednesday on 9 April 2013. At the end of the 2012–13 season, Abdou made thirty–nine appearances and scoring once in all competitions. However, Kenny Jackett, a manager who signed him, left the club.