Rachid Mekhloufi

Rachid Mekhloufi (12 August 1936 – 8 November 2024) was a football player and coach. Born in Algeria, Mekhloufi played as a striker for the France, FLN, and Algeria national teams.

International career Mekhloufi (bottom row, second from right) with FLN football team. On 13 April 1958, during the Algerian War, Mekhloufi was among ten France-based Algerian professional footballers who secretly left France to join the FLN football team, which had been established by the National Liberation Front. At the time, he was considered one of France's most promising players and was a member of the provisional squad preparing for the 1958 FIFA World Cup. His departure brought significant attention to the FLN team and its cause. By joining the FLN team, Mekhloufi spent several years outside FIFA-recognized competition, later stating that the experience had affected his competitive edge. Despite French efforts to prevent the team's international activities through FIFA, the FLN team continued to play matches in a number of countries.

Death On 8 November 2024, it was announced that Mekhloufi had died at the age of 88.

Career statistics

Club

International Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mekhloufi goal.

Honours Player Saint-Étienne French Division 1: 1956–57, 1963–64, 1966–67, 1967–68 Coupe de France: 1968 Trophée des Champions: 1957, 1967 Coupe Charles Drago: 1955, 1958

France military Military World Cup: 1957

Individual All-time AS Saint-Étienne top scorer: 192 goals

Manager Algeria Mediterranean Games gold medal: 1975 All-Africa Games gold medal: 1978

Individual Lebanese Premier League Best Coach: 1996–97