In Omdurman on 18 November 2009, Yahia met Karim Ziani's pass on the volley and buried it under the bar, the only goal of the playoff that sent Algeria past Egypt to the World Cup. He captained Algeria at the 2010 World Cup, their first finals since 1986, reached the semi-finals at that year's Africa Cup of Nations, and was voted both Algerian and Arab Player of the Year for 2009 across 53 caps. Career record: 53 caps and 6 goals for Algeria; club career at OGC Nice, VfL Bochum, Al-Nassr.
| 2000–2002 | Inter Milan |
| 2001–2005 | SC Bastia |
| 2005–2007 | OGC Nice |
| 2006–2011 | VfL Bochum |
| 2011–2012 | Al-Nassr |
| 2012–2013 | 1. FC Kaiserslautern |
| 2013–2013 | Espérance Sportive de Tunis |
| 2014–2014 | Platanias Chania |
| 2014–2016 | Angers SCO |
| 2016–today | US Orléans |
| — | FC Sochaux-Montbéliard |
| Algeria | 53 caps, 6 goals |
Algeria legends whose careers overlapped Yahia's
One rank above: Aïssa Mandi at #19.
One rank below: Baghdad Bounedjah at #21.
Algeria's editorial top five: Rabah Madjer · Riyad Mahrez · Lakhdar Belloumi · Mustapha Dahleb · Hacène Lalmas.