New games! PlayTrivia andBirthle.

The Most Famous

SOCCER PLAYERS from Algeria

Icon of occuation in country

This page contains a list of the greatest Algerian Soccer Players. The pantheon dataset contains 16,880 Soccer Players, 41 of which were born in Algeria. This makes Algeria the birth place of the 63rd most number of Soccer Players behind China and Estonia.

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.

Photo of Rabah Madjer

1. Rabah Madjer (1958 - )

With an HPI of 55.40, Rabah Madjer is the most famous Algerian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 30 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.

Photo of Alexandre Villaplane

2. Alexandre Villaplane (1905 - 1944)

With an HPI of 51.70, Alexandre Villaplane is the 2nd most famous Algerian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 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.

Photo of Lakhdar Belloumi

3. Lakhdar Belloumi (1958 - )

With an HPI of 50.61, Lakhdar Belloumi is the 3rd most famous Algerian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 25 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 as 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.

Photo of Rabah Saâdane

4. Rabah Saâdane (1946 - )

With an HPI of 49.17, Rabah Saâdane is the 4th most famous Algerian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 20 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. 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.

Photo of Djamel Zidane

5. Djamel Zidane (1955 - )

With an HPI of 48.59, Djamel Zidane is the 5th most famous Algerian Soccer Player.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

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

Photo of Mehdi Cerbah

6. Mehdi Cerbah (1953 - 2021)

With an HPI of 47.41, Mehdi Cerbah is the 6th most famous Algerian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Mehdi Cerbah (3 April 1953 – 29 October 2021) was an Algerian footballer who played as a goalkeeper.

Photo of Mustapha Dahleb

7. Mustapha Dahleb (1952 - )

With an HPI of 46.00, Mustapha Dahleb is the 7th most famous Algerian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 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 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 sixth all-time goalscorer in all competitions.

Photo of Islam Slimani

8. Islam Slimani (1988 - )

With an HPI of 45.48, Islam Slimani is the 8th most famous Algerian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 39 different languages.

Islam Slimani (Arabic: إسلام سليماني; born 18 June 1988) is an Algerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for Belgian Pro League club K.V. Mechelen and the Algeria national team. Slimani began his career in his homeland with JSM Chéraga and CR Belouizdad. In 2013, he moved to Europe, signing for Sporting CP. He played and scored regularly during his three seasons in Portugal, helping his team win the Taça de Portugal in 2015. In 2016, Slimani was transferred to Leicester for a club record £28 million fee. An Algerian international, Slimani made his international debut in 2012 and played at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2023, and was also a part of the Algeria side that won the 2019 tournament. He was additionally part of Algeria's squad at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, where he finished as the team's joint top scorer with two goals. As of January 2024, he has won over 100 international caps and scored 45 goals, making him Algeria's highest all-time goalscorer.

Photo of Joseph Gonzales

9. Joseph Gonzales (1907 - 1984)

With an HPI of 45.13, Joseph Gonzales is the 9th most famous Algerian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Joseph Gonzales (19 February 1907 in Béni Saf, French Algeria – 26 June 1984) was a French football player. He won one international cap, against Belgium in 1936, and was an unused squad member for the 1934 World Cup. Gonzales played club football for Valenciennes, Fives and Marseille. He was also the manager of Marseille in 1943 and 1944.

Photo of Mustapha Zitouni

10. Mustapha Zitouni (1928 - 2014)

With an HPI of 45.13, Mustapha Zitouni is the 10th most famous Algerian Soccer Player.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Mustapha Zitouni (19 October 1928 – 5 January 2014) was a professional footballer who played as a defender. He played international football for both France and Algeria.

Pantheon has 41 people classified as soccer players born between 1905 and 1996. Of these 41, 34 (82.93%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living soccer players include Rabah Madjer, Lakhdar Belloumi, and Rabah Saâdane. The most famous deceased soccer players include Alexandre Villaplane, Mehdi Cerbah, and Joseph Gonzales. As of April 2022, 6 new soccer players have been added to Pantheon including Mehdi Cerbah, Joseph Gonzales, and Joseph Alcazar.

Living Soccer Players

Go to all Rankings

Deceased Soccer Players

Go to all Rankings

Newly Added Soccer Players (2022)

Go to all Rankings

Which Soccer Players were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 4 most globally memorable Soccer Players since 1700.