Walid Cheddira (; born 22 January 1998) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Serie B club Avellino. Born in Italy, he played for the Morocco national team.
Early life Cheddira was born in Loreto, Marche, Italy to parents originally from Béni Mellal, Morocco. His father, Aziz, was also a footballer, having played for some time in the Moroccan minor leagues.
Club career
Early career Cheddira began playing football in his hometown team, Loreto, playing in the amateur Eccellenza league. 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, who loaned him to Arezzo in Serie C on 22 July. He made his professional Serie C debut on 25 August, as a starter in a game against Lecco. After half a season, Parma sent Cheddira on loan to Lecco on 31 January 2020, and to Mantova on 4 September.
Bari On 18 July 2021, Cheddira joined Bari on loan, who made the deal permanent on 30 June 2022, signing a contract until June 2025.
Napoli On 20 August 2023, Cheddira was signed by Napoli and loaned to Frosinone for the 2023–24 season. On 27 August 2024, Cheddira moved on a new loan to Espanyol in Spain. On 1 September 2025, he was loaned to Sassuolo with an option to buy. On 22 January 2026, Cheddira moved on a new loan to Lecce, also with an option to buy.
International career Cheddira was born in Italy and is Moroccan by descent. 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; he made his debut against Chile as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 win.
On 10 November 2022, Cheddira was named in Morocco's 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. 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. 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.
Style of play Cheddira is a varied forward, capable of playing both as a central striker and as a winger on either flank. Physically strong, he has also shown that he has notable athletic skills, especially useful in pressing and making runs. He also complements his team's offensive actions, also as an assist-man, and is quite incisive in front of goal, being able to finish with either direct shots or headers.
Personal life During his time at Bari, Cheddira was nicknamed "Ualino" or "Walino", a diminutive of the name Pasquale in the Barese dialect.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsSangiustese2017–18Serie D3410002136112018–19Serie D381000204010Total722000417621Arezzo (loan)2019–20Serie C1302010160Lecco (loan)2019–20Serie C20000020Mantova (loan)2020–21Serie C3890010399Bari2021–22Serie C34600303762022–23Serie B311735403822Total652335707528Napoli2023–24Serie A000000002024–25Serie A10100020Total10100020Frosinone (loan)2023–24Serie A3673100398Espanyol (loan)2024–25La Liga2211000231Sassuolo (loan)2025–26Serie A1611000171Lecce (loan)2025–26Serie A1630000163Career total2806511613130571
Honours Bari Serie C: 2021–22
Individual Serie B Player of the Month: September 2022 Coppa Italia Top scorer: 2022–23
Orders Order of the Throne: 2022
References
External links