7th. Hacene Lalmas (CAM)
Nicknamed El Kebch or The Ram, Hacene Lalmas is widely considered to be one of the most naturally talented footballers, the continent of Africa has ever produced. Progressing through the ranks as an academy product of OMR El Annasser, Lalmas made his senior team debut with the club in 1960.
Within a couple of years after making his senior team debut, Lalmas made the switch to fellow Algerian Club CR Belouizdad in 1962. He would spend the next 11 years of his career with Belouizdad helping them to 4 Algerian Ligue 1 titles (1965, 66, 69 & 70) and 3 Algerian Cups (1966, 69 & 70).
In addition to these, Lalmas also set a number of individual records while with Belouizdad. He still holds the record for the most number of goals scored in Algerian Cup finals – 6 goals in 3 games. Lalmas also holds the record for the most number of goals in the Algerian Championnat with a tally of 150. After leaving Belouizdad in 1973, Lalmas went on to spend the final two years of his career with another Algerian club, NA Hussein Dey before retiring at the end of the 1974/75 season.
International Career
Having made his debut for the Algerian national side in 1963, Lalmas would go on to earn a total of 43 international caps for Algeria & scoring a total of 14 goals in them. Lalmas was part of the Algerian squad which took part in their first ever Africa Cup of Nations in 1968. Lalmas scored a hat-trick in their 4-0 win over Uganda in their 2nd group game but the Greens still made a group stage exit. He was also part of the Algerian side that took part in the 1967 Mediterranean Games but made an exit in the group stages itself.
6th. Abdelhafid Tasfaout (CM)
Former captain of the Algerian national side, Abdelhafid Tasfaout to this day remains Algeria’s all-time leading top scorer with 36 goals in 87 appearances. Born in the city of Oran, Tasfaout had a hectic youth career which saw him moving from one academy to another before finally settling at ASM Oran. Tasfaout made his professional debut with ASMO at the age of 18 in 1987. After a total of three seasons with ASMO, Tasfaout made the switch to another club based in Oran, namely MC Oran.
Over the next five years, Tasfaout would go on to make nearly 150 appearances for the club & scoring more than 50 goals in the process. He would also win the Algerian Ligue 1 title twice (1991/92 & 1992/93) during his time with the club. Tasfaout was the league’s top scorer in both their title winning seasons & was named the Algerian player of the year thrice during his time with MCO (1992, 93 & 94).
Career in France
The summer of 1995 saw Tasfaout making his first foray outside Africa by joining French Ligue 1 club, AJ Auxerre. In his first season itself, Tasfaout would help the club win their maiden Ligue 1 title along with the Coupe de France. Within a couple season,s Tasfaout made a permanent move to a fellow French club, EA Guingamp. Once again he was able to win silverware in his first season with a new club in the form of the 1997 Coupe de France title. He would remain with Guingamp until the 2001/02 season making over 100 appearances for the club & scoring his fair share of goals at this time. Upon leaving the club in 2002, Tasfaout would make a final move to Qatar where he would play with Al-Rayyan for a single season before finally retiring from the game.
International Career
As already mentioned Tasfaout to this day remains Algeria’s all-time leading top scorer with a tally of 36 goals. With 87 international appearances, Tasfaout ranks second in terms of most international appearances won for Algeria. He represented Algeria in a total of 5 AFCON Championships between 1992 & 2002. The 2000 edition of the tournament saw Algeria making it to the quarter-finals of the competition with Tasfaout scoring twice during their campaign. Tasfaout though suffered a serious injury in their group stage clash against hosts Mali as he swallowed his tongue after coming together with a Malian player [1]. Tasfaout recovered well but retired from the game soon after.
5th. Ali Bencheikh (CF)
Fondly known as “Alilou” among the supporters of MC Alger, Bencheikh, without a doubt, is one of the most talented footballers Africa has ever produced. Bencheikh came through the youth ranks of MC Alger and made his senior team debut with the club in 1973 at the age of 18. In his first 5 years at the club, he would help the club to 4 Algerian League titles (1975, 76, 78 & 79), 2 Algerian Cups (1973 & 76) & a CAF Champions League title in 1976.
The summer of 1979 saw Alilou make a loan move to a fellow Algerian club, DNC Alger. His stay with the club lasted only for a season and he returned to MC Alger prior to the 1980/81 season. The next 6 years with the club were not as fruitful as his previous stint but Bencheikh was still able to win the Algerian Cup once more in 1983. Bencheikh would retire from the game in 1988 as an MC Alger player but not before spending an uneventful season on loan to Algerian lower division club, JSM Cheraga in 1986/87.
International Career
Having made his international debut for Algeria in 1976, Bencheikh made a total of 63 appearances, scoring a total of 7 goals in his 11-year long career. Alilou was part of the Algerian side that made it to the semi-finals of the 1982 AFCON tournament. He was also part of Algeria’s 1982 World Cup campaign where they made a controversial exit in the group stages. Even though Bencheikh was never he won the Africa Footballer of the year accolade, he has had a number of near misses, most notably a runner-up finish in 1978 & a 3rd place finish in 1976.
4th. Salah Assad (LW)
Algeria’s 1982 World Cup triumph over Chile with Assad playing a starring role: –
The man who starred in Algeria’s 1982 World Cup campaign[2], Salah Assad to this day holds the record for the most goals (2) by an Algerian in a World Cup. Assad started his professional career with RC Kouba at the age of 17. Upon making his debut for the club in 1975, Assad would spend a total of 7 years the club winning the Algerian Ligue 1 title once during this period in 1981. He was also part of the RC Kouba side that reached the quarter-finals of the 1982 Africa Cup of Champions.
Following his time with Kouba, Assad made the switch to French club FC Mulhouse in 1982. Following a short stint with the club, Assad made a loan move to French giants PSG ahead of the 1983/84 season. Assad’s time with the French giants lasted only for 9 appearances and he returned to Mulhouse and remained there until the end of the 1985/86 season. Upon leaving Mulhouse in 1986, Assad returned to Kouba where he would remain until his retirement in 1989.
International Career
Assad made his international debut for Algeria in 1978 & over the next 11 years would go on to represent the Greens in a total of 68 internationals & scoring 18 goals in the process. He scored a brace in their 3-2 win over Chile in their only win during the group stages of the 1982 World Cup. Even though his team was eliminated in the group stages, Assad for his efforts was named as the left winger of the tournament & was eventually named the African Sportsman of the year in 1982. In addition to the above-mentioned accolade, Assad also finished as the runners-up in the 1982 African Footballer of the year award.
In addition to the above-mentioned accolade, Assad also finished as the runners-up in the 1982 African Footballer of the year award. He was part of the Algerian side that made it to the quarterfinals to the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Assad was part of the Algerian sides that featured in 1980 & 1982 African Cup of Nations. Assad helped the Algerians finish 2nd & 4th respectively in those tournaments & was named in the eventual team of the tournament in both those editions.
Countdown: Top 10 Algerian Footballers: Top 3
External Resources
[1] News24.c0m, Tasfaout & his freak accident
[2] Listverse.info, Top 10 Algerian Footballers