Confusion over HSV signing: his real name is actually different! | OneFootball

He is one of the new signings who was thrown straight into the starting lineup in the debacle against Mainz – or had to be. But Bilal Nadir also arrived in Hamburg with a curious story in tow.

It concerns his name. The midfielder joined the banks of the Elbe in the summer on a free transfer from French top-flight club Olympique Marseille. There, he had long been considered one of the biggest talents around.

Officially, he was introduced at HSV as Bilal Nadir. But as a report by MOPO shows, that is not actually correct.

Not just Moroccan roots

And that is due to a blunder by the authorities. Nadir was born in Nice, in France. But neither of his parents had French citizenship; they are from Morocco and Algeria respectively. As a result, the midfielder did not automatically receive a French passport, but instead his father’s Moroccan citizenship. In his identity papers, his name was listed as Bilel Nadir – with an e instead of an a in his first name.

IMAGO

To pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer, he left Morocco and returned to Nice. There, he obtained dual citizenship. The 22-year-old also played his first youth internationals for France, and has only represented Morocco since the U23 level.

This mistake still follows the HSV newcomer today

When he later received his French passport, a transcription error was made. Instead of his actual first name, the name Bilal was entered. This administrative mix-up still follows him to this day: one passport says Bilel, the other Bilal.

According to the MOPO report, this is no longer a problem for the player himself; he has gotten used to it. What his real name actually is can be seen not only in his Moroccan passport, but also on Instagram. There, he goes by “bilelnad10”.

However his name is really supposed to be correctly written and officially approved, HSV fans will probably not mind either way. At the Volksparkstadion, it is usually only the surname that gets shouted anyway. For example, after his debut goal. First, though, the embarrassment against Mainz has to be made up for. That horror match was Nadir’s first start at the Volkspark. But the attempt to put things right will begin not at home, but away at RB Leipzig.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.