Al-Gharafa signs Algerian Ben Nasser

Al-Gharafa has signed Algerian midfielder Ismaël Bennacer on a free transfer following his mutual termination with Italian club Milan last August, as announced by the ninth-placed team in the Qatar Stars League.

Bennacer, 28, joined Milan seven years ago, arriving from Empoli for €16 million in the summer of 2019, and won the Africa Cup of Nations with his national team that same year.

He made 178 official appearances for the Rossoneri, including 137 in Serie A, and was a key figure in the Lombard side’s midfield when they won the Serie A title under Stefano Pioli in the 2021-2022 season, in which he played 31 matches.

He suffered a serious knee injury at the end of the 2022-2023 season, which marked the beginning of the end of his tenure with the seven-time Champions League winners. However, he returned to action in December 2023, featuring in 20 Serie A matches during the 2023-2024 campaign, most of them as a substitute.

Bennacer was loaned to French club Marseille in the middle of the 2024-2025 season, before joining Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb on loan during the 2025-2026 season.