ADLENE GUEDIOURA’S father, Nacer, always dreamed of carving out a footballing career in England. A talented striker, he briefly travelled to Newcastle for a glorified trial, yet there was never any real prospect of him being able to follow his dreams.

Having watched almost a million Algerians flee the country for France in the wake of the War of Independence, which ended in 1962, the authoritarian Algerian government introduced legislation banning overseas migration before the age of 28 in all but the most exceptional of circumstances.

Nacer Guedioura was a decent goalscorer, but he was not exceptional. So while other Africans were able to move to Europe in order to better themselves, he found himself playing for Algerian side USM Alger. By the time he was 28, he was able to move to France, but his best days were behind him, and at least some of his potential went unfulfilled.

His son, Adlene, has never had to deal with such hardships. Born in France, Adlene has always been free to play where he wants, and a career that has taken him to Wolves, Nottingham Forest, Crystal Palace and Watford now sees him plying his trade with Middlesbrough in the Premier League.

He knows how fortunate he is to be living in a less restrictive time, and while Nacer might not have spelled it out to him explicitly, he also knows he is living the life his father would have wanted as his own.

“My dad always wanted to leave and play in England,” said Adlene. “He actually came over to Newcastle for a little while when he was young, but the laws meant he couldn’t actually make the move and play full-time over here.

“He would have had to change his papers if he wanted to leave Algeria, so he went back to his home and didn’t leave for France until he was 28 or 29. By then, it was too late for him to really make the best of himself, so he was only able to play in the Second Division. He played for the biggest club in Algeria though, and played for the national team as well.

“I think I have done better than him now! Things are very different though. The rules have changed, and I am able to play for clubs with excellent facilities, and am able to make good money compared to what my dad was able to get in Algeria. Everything is much better organised now.

“Back then, the path to Europe was not really open. We only had one or two players who were allowed to leave Algeria at the time - a couple of players were able to join Paris St Germain -  but I think if the rules had been different, a lot of players would have made their mark in Europe.”

There are plenty of footballing examples of players following in their father’s footsteps, but it is much more unusual for a son to be forging a path where his father was forbidden to tread.

“There can be good things and bad things about having a dad who also played football,” he added.  “I think, genetically, you maybe inherit some qualities that help you, but then there are also some people who look at you from the start and say, ‘Well he is bound to be good because his dad was a good player’.

“When I was starting out in France, there were also questions about whether my dad wanted to be a manager (agent), and some people were maybe a little bit afraid of this. Maybe that didn’t help me in France.”

Guedioura’s career began in the lower leagues in France, and he was forced to drop down to the fourth tier to play for Noisy-le-Sec before he was offered a move to Belgium that eventually resulted in him joining Charleroi.

From there he travelled to Wolves, helping the Molineux club avoid relegation from the top-flight during his first season in the Midlands, but while he has made more than 100 league appearances in English football, he is yet to firmly establish himself with any one club.

Perhaps that will change at Middlesbrough? His deadline-day move from Watford came completely out of the blue, with Boro having been chasing the likes of Robert Snodgrass, Jese Rodriguez and Bojan Krkic for the majority of January, and he turned down Hull City on the final day of the window in order to move to the North-East.

Why? Partly because he felt Middlesbrough had a better chance of avoiding relegation, but also because he had sought advice from his closest footballing friend, former Boro midfielder George Boateng.

“We played together at Forest in 2012 and since then we have become good friends,” said Guedioura. “I asked him about the club, and he really loves Boro! He had some really good memories here, and told me very good things.

“He said to me he enjoyed it here, he likes the chairman and the club, and he told me everyone is very friendly. I could see that straight away. He said it would be very easy for me to settle here, and it has been.”

All Guedioura needs now is an opportunity to prove himself in the first team. He has been restricted to two substitute appearances so far, and is likely to remain on the bench for today’s game against one of his former clubs Crystal Palace, but with Boro having struggled to score goals this season, his attacking-midfield capabilities could yet prove important in the run-in.

“It would be nice to settle down, and that is why I came here,” he said. “I think it is a good club to settle down at, and maybe finish my career here. You never know. But that will only happen if I play well and we have good results - that will make the club happy with me.”