Ex-Tottenham star scores just four minutes after returning from cardiac arrest

The ex-Tottenham star now plays for his hometown club Lille in Ligue 1.

Before last night's game, Bentaleb had not played since featuring in a World Cup qualifier for Algeria on June 10 last year, having suffered a cardiac arrest later that month.

Subsequently, the same heart specialist who treated his former Spurs teammate, Christian Eriksen, fitted him with a defibrillator.

After eight months of rehabilitation, the French Football Federation finally cleared Bentaleb to make his long-anticipated comeback last Wednesday.

Following his return to full training, the midfielder was named as a substitute for Lille's critical trip to Rennes on Sunday evening.

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Bruno Genesio's squad entered the match seeking redemption after a surprising home defeat to Le Havre the weekend prior.

Meanwhile, their opponents had found early success under their new boss, former Newcastle and Aston Villa full-back Habib Beye.

With the score locked at 0-0, the moment arrived for Bentaleb, called upon to replace Ngal'ayel Mukau in the 76th minute.

Just four thrilling minutes later, the returning star made his mark, scoring from the rebound after Brice Samba had saved Chuba Akpom's header.

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Bentaleb sprinted to the bench in joyous celebration, embraced by his ecstatic teammates.

Things got even better in the 86th minute, with Akpom scoring Lille's second to secure a 2-0 victory on Bentaleb's return.

Speaking after the match, boss Genesio said: "It's worthy of a film. He deserved it because I don't believe in luck; he believed in himself.

"It's an incredible, wonderful story.

"Nabil's goal put us on cloud nine; it's hard to describe. It could be a moment that will mark the end of our season, that will remain engraved in the history of the club, of this season - and in Nabil's mind, of course."

Bentaleb made his senior debut for Tottenham in 2013, having signed for the club's academy in January 2012.

He went on to make 66 appearances for Spurs before sealing a permanent move to Schalke in 2017 after a successful season-long loan.

During his time with the German club, Bentaleb tallied 19 goals in 107 appearances and briefly returned to the Premier League with a loan at Newcastle in 2020.

Two years later, he departed Schalke and made a switch to Ligue 1 with Angers for one season before fulfilling his dream of playing for Lille last summer.

With this victory, Lille climbed back above Lyon into fifth place in the Ligue 1 table, now just two points shy of the coveted Champions League positions.

They will return to action this Saturday when they host AS Monaco.

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