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
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.Rachid Mekhloufi, légende de l’AS Saint-Etienne et du football algérien, est mort
Career statistics
Club + Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueCupContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsSaint-Étienne1954–55Division 116964——22131955–56312140——35211956–57302521——32261957–582542021—295Total1025914521—11865Servette1962–63Nationalliga A19130032—2215Saint-Étienne1963–64Division 1341610——35161964–653285021—3991965–66382111——39221966–67381221—1141141967–683075540—3912Total19278187611121787Bastia1968–69Division 1331310——34131969–7034792——439Total6720102——7722Career total380170421411411434189
International Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Mekhloufi goal.
+ List of international goals scored by Rachid MekhloufiNo.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 28 February 1963 19 Juin 1965, Oran, Algeria 2–0 4–0 Friendly1 3–02 5 July 1963 Stade d'El Anasser, Algiers 1–1 1–1 Friendly3 7 July 1963 19 Juin 1965, Oran, Algeria 1–1 2–2 Friendly6 22 March 1963 Alexandria Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt 1–2 2–2 Friendly
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 IFFHS All Time Algeria Men's Dream Team
Manager Algeria Mediterranean Games gold medal: 1975 All-Africa Games gold medal: 1978
Individual Lebanese Premier League Best Coach: 1996–97
References
External links
Profile
Short bio Another bio https://www.coppolaeditore.it/le-figurine/189-mekhloufi.html di Raffaele Trito