The Most Famous

SOCCER PLAYERS from Algeria

This page contains a list of the greatest Algerian Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 21,273 Soccer Players, 58 of which were born in Algeria. This makes Algeria the birth place of the 60th most number of Soccer Players behind Honduras, and New Zealand.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Algerian Soccer Players of all time. This list of famous Algerian Soccer Players is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Algerian Soccer Players.

1. Rabah Madjer (b. 1958)

With an HPI of 64.16, Rabah Madjer is the most famous Algerian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 33 different languages on wikipedia.

Rabah Mustapha Madjer (Arabic: رابح مصطفى ماجر; born 15 December 1958) is an Algerian former professional footballer who played as a striker. He reached stardom as a Porto player during the 1980s, being widely regarded as one of the best Algerian football players of all time. In his six-year spell with that club, he won nine major titles, including three national championships and the 1987 European Cup. One of the most prolific Algeria internationals in number of games and goals, Madjer played in two World Cups with his national team, helping it to its first ever participation in 1982. Having taken up coaching immediately after retiring, he managed several clubs, and also had several spells with the Algeria national team.

2. Alexandre Villaplane (1905 - 1944)

With an HPI of 59.69, Alexandre Villaplane is the 2nd most famous Algerian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Alexandre Villaplane (24 December 1904 – 27 December 1944) was a French football player who played as a midfielder. He appeared in the France national team in the 1928 Summer Olympics and captained the national team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup. Villaplane was also a Nazi collaborator who was arrested and executed for his actions during World War II.

3. Lakhdar Belloumi (b. 1958)

With an HPI of 59.41, Lakhdar Belloumi is the 3rd most famous Algerian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Lakhdar Belloumi (Arabic: لخضر بلومي; born on 29 December 1958) is an Algerian former football player and manager. A former attacking midfielder, he is widely considered the best Algerian player of all time and one of the best players in Africa. He is said to have invented the "Blind Pass". He was named the fourth-best African player of the century by IFFHS. He holds the record as the most capped Algerian player with 100 national caps (147 caps not recognized by FIFA) and is also the third best goalscorer of the Algerian national team in all time with 28 goals (34 goals not recognized by FIFA). Belloumi's goal against reigning European champions West Germany earned Algeria a stunning 2–1 victory in their World Cup debut in Spain '82.

4. Rachid Mekhloufi (1936 - 2024)

With an HPI of 59.27, Rachid Mekhloufi is the 4th most famous Algerian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Rachid Mekhloufi (Arabic: رشيد مخلوفي; 12 August 1936 – 8 November 2024) was an Algerian footballer who played as a striker. He later became a manager and coached the Algeria national team.

5. Rabah Saâdane (b. 1946)

With an HPI of 58.63, Rabah Saâdane is the 5th most famous Algerian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Rabah Saâdane (Arabic: رابح سعدان; born 3 May 1946) is an Algerian football manager and retired professional player whose playing career was abruptly interrupted at the age of 27 by a car accident. His last management job was of the Algerian national team before resigning in September 2010. He currently serves as the strategic advisor for the Tanzania national football team It was his fifth separate spell in charge of the team after earlier stints between 1981 and 2004 and was arguably his most successful, given its arduous qualification process. He was in charge when the U-20s qualified for the 1979 FIFA World Youth Championship, Algeria's first participation in a major tournament. He was also part of the 1982 FIFA World Cup backroom staff and head coach in the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Saâdane was designated as Africa's best coach by the Africa International Sport Convention (CISA) during its 6th edition held in Bamako, Mali. He was described by the convention as being the only coach in the world to have qualified a team to four Fifa World Cup finals, including one in the junior level.

6. Djamel Zidane (b. 1955)

With an HPI of 58.32, Djamel Zidane is the 6th most famous Algerian Soccer Player. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Djamel Zidane (born 28 April 1955) is an Algerian former professional footballer who played as a forward. He appeared for the Algeria national team at the 1982 World Cup and the 1986 World Cup, in which he scored one goal, a free kick against Northern Ireland.

7. Djamel Menad (1960 - 2025)

With an HPI of 57.22, Djamel Menad is the 7th most famous Algerian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Djamel Menad (Arabic: جمال مناد; 22 July 1960 – 22 March 2025) was an Algerian professional footballer who played as a forward.

8. Ernest Libérati (1906 - 1983)

With an HPI of 56.13, Ernest Libérati is the 8th most famous Algerian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Ernest Libérati (22 March 1908 – 2 June 1983) was a French footballer. He played as a forward. He was part of the France national football team at the FIFA World Cup 1930. He provided the first ever FIFA World Cup assist against Mexico.

9. Mohammed El Filali (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 56.03, Mohammed El Filali is the 9th most famous Algerian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Mohammed El Filali (Arabic: محمد الفيلالي) (born 9 July 1945) is a Moroccan football forward who played for the Morocco in the 1970 FIFA World Cup. He also played for MC Oujda. Also, El Filali was a firefighter. Born in El Malah (near the border of Morocco), Filali began playing senior football with MC Oujda in 1962. He became a regular starter for MC Oujda during the 1963–64 season, eventually playing all positions including goalkeeper for the club. Filali won the 1974–75 Botola with MC Oujda which led to his participation in the 1975 Mohammed V Cup. His younger brother, Mbarek was also a Morocco international.

10. Mustapha Dahleb (b. 1952)

With an HPI of 55.70, Mustapha Dahleb is the 10th most famous Algerian Soccer Player. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Mustapha Dahleb (born 8 February 1952) is an Algerian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. Having begun his career at Sedan and CR Belouizdad, he spent most of his career at Paris Saint-Germain before playing a final season at Nice. At the international level, Dahleb represented the Algeria national team. He holds the records of being the fourth-highest goalscorer for Paris Saint-Germain in the French first division and seventh all-time goalscorer in all competitions.

People

Pantheon has 58 people classified as Algerian soccer players born between 1905 and 2000. Of these 58, 47 (81.03%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Algerian soccer players include Rabah Madjer, Lakhdar Belloumi, and Rabah Saâdane. The most famous deceased Algerian soccer players include Alexandre Villaplane, Rachid Mekhloufi, and Djamel Menad. As of April 2024, 58 new Algerian soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Rabah Madjer, Alexandre Villaplane, and Lakhdar Belloumi.