Fennecs’ Most Notable Achievements This Season

Algeria’s national team stars achieved significant accomplishments during the past season, combining remarkable performances with their various clubs and winning several important titles in multiple championships.

Meanwhile, observers anticipate lucrative deals by some of the most prominent names, who are likely to follow in the footsteps of Rayan Ait Nouri, who officially joined Manchester City in a significant deal from both a financial and sporting perspective.

Most observers have praised the remarkable prominence of a considerable number of Algerian players in various European and Arab championships, based on their contributions to achieving qualitative results, whether individual or collective, as well as the important offers received by some of the “Fennec” stars to wear the colors of major clubs in well-known championships, most notably Rayan Ait Nouri, who signed a five-year contract with Manchester City for 35 million euros.

Ait Nouri joins the prestigious British club, where former Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez previously excelled before moving to the Saudi League two seasons ago. He becomes the sixth Algerian player to play for Manchester City, following Ali Benarbia, Karim Kerkar, Djamel Belmadi, Djamel Abdoun, and finally Riyad Mahrez.

The summer transfer window suggests the possibility of concluding several important deals with Algerian players who have captured the spotlight this season, like Yassine Benzia, who may have moved to the Saudi Pro League, and Ismael Benacer, who is likely to return to the Italian League. Meanwhile, the national championship launched its first export, featuring Paradou AC player and season top scorer Adil Boulbina, who officially joined Qatari club Al-Duhail, which signed the former Algerian team’s coach Djamel Belmadi.

Nevertheless, several Algerian players crowned champions in various championships during the recent season, reflecting their remarkable prominence, which will open broader horizons for other football talents seeking to impose themselves by excelling at a high level.

In this regard, striker Youcef Belaili and defender Mohamed Tougai have excelled with Sportive Esperance of Tunis by winning the Tunisian League twice (championship and cup) and reaching the semi-finals of the CAF Champions League. They are participating in their club in the Club World Cup, alongside two other Algerians: Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund) and Rayan Ait Nouri, who recently joined Manchester City.

While Riyad Mahrez contributed to the victory of his Saudi club Al-Ahli in the AFC Champions League, Amin Chiakha also won the Danish League and the Cup with his club Copenhagen in his first pro season.

Al-Sadd SC won the Qatari Championship, achieving this victory thanks to the significant contributions of three Algerian players: Youcef Atal, Adam Ounas, and Abdessamad Bounacer.

Houssem Aouar won two Saudi League titles: the Pro League championship and the King’s Cup with his club Al-Ittihad of Jeddah. Yacine Brahimi won the Emir’s Cup with his Qatari club Al-Gharafa, while Yassine Benzia won the Azerbaijani Cup with his club Qarabag FK.

These significant achievements, according to sports documentation researcher Adel Haddad, have increased the number of Algerian internationals’ titles this season to 14, including 11 Arab championships.

He explained that the individual prowess of several Fennecs in terms of their scoring instincts, such as Bounedjah in the Saudi League with 19 goals, Belaili in the Tunisian championship (18 goals), and Mahrez in the Saudi League with 17 goals. Not to forget the amazing performance of Algerian players who have each made over 40 appearances for their respective clubs, such as Benzia, Hadjam, Mahrez, Bensebaini, Hadj Moussa, Ait Nouri, and Zerkane.

Many observers believe that such numbers and titles will boost the Algerian players’ stock in various Arab and European championships, especially since this will open wider horizons for players seeking to establish themselves at a high level, to follow in the footsteps of many of the “Fennecs” stars, such as Mahrez, Aouar, Ait Nouri, Belaili and others. This makes it an important opportunity to trade the names of many Algerian football stars in the summer transfer market to conclude quality deals that allow them to shine with well-known and prominent clubs and championships.