Rabah Madjer

Rabah Mustapha Madjer (Arabic: رابح مصطفى ماجر; born 15 December 1958) is an Algerian former professional footballer who played as a striker.

For the Portuguese beach soccer player, see Madjer.

Rabah Madjer
Madjer in 1987
Personal information
Full name Rabah Mustapha Madjer
Date of birth (1958-12-15) 15 December 1958
Place of birth Hussein Dey, Algeria
Height 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Striker
Youth career
1972–1973 Onalait Hussein Dey
1973–1978 NA Hussein Dey
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1978–1983 NA Hussein Dey 94 (58)
1983–1985 Racing Paris 50 (23)
1985 → Tours (loan) 7 (2)
1985–1991 Porto 108 (50)
1988 → Valencia (loan) 14 (4)
1991–1992 Qatar SC 9 (6)
Total 282 (143)
International career
1978–1992 Algeria 87 (28)
Managerial career
1993–1995 Algeria
1995–1997 Porto (youth)
1997–1998 Al Sadd
1998–1999 Al-Wakrah
1999 Algeria
2001–2002 Algeria
2005–2006 Al-Rayyan
2017–2018 Algeria
2017–2018 Algeria A'
Medal record
Representing  Algeria
Men's football
Africa Cup of Nations
Winner1990 Algeria
Runner-up1980 Nigeria
Third place1988 Morocco
Third place1984 Ivory Coast
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

He reached stardom as a Porto player during the 1980s, being widely regarded as one of the best Algerian football players of all time.[1][2] With that club he won nine major titles during his six-year spell, including three national championships and the 1987 European Cup.[3]

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.

Club career

Born in the Algiers district of Hussein Dey of Kabyle origin (Tigzirt), Madjer started his European career in 1983, moving to Racing Club de France football Colombes 92 from local NA Hussein Dey. He stayed there during one and a half seasons, finishing 1984–85 with another French side, Tours FC.[4]

Madjer arrived at FC Porto in 1985–86 and, the following campaign, entered the club's history books in the final of the European Cup against Bayern Munich, scoring the 1–1 equalizer in a memorable final, which eventually ended 2–1 to the Portuguese, and also setting up the winner of Juary.[5][6] Pelé is believed to have said of this goal: "It would have been the greatest goal I have ever seen, if he had not looked back at it." He also netted in the club's Intercontinental Cup conquest the same year.[7][8][9]

After that stellar 1987, Madjer won the Ballon d'or Africain,[10] but was not allowed to compete for the European Golden Ball as he was not born in the region. In the first part of 1987–88 he scored ten times from only 11 appearances. In the summer 1988 he moved to Inter Milan but the medical exams detected a serious thigh muscle injury that the player had in the past and the contract was never officially signed (despite the initial announcement and the official photos already taken).[11]

After being close to transferring to Bayern Munich,[12] Madjer signed for La Liga's Valencia CF in January 1988, returning to his previous team after only a few months for a further three seasons. Johan Cruyff had also attempted to sign Madjer for AFC Ajax at the time the clubs met in the 1987 European Super Cup. Cruyff was unhappy with his own club's board, believing that they leaked details of the transfer which caused Porto to pull out of the deal.[13]

Madjer retired from the game in 1992 at the age of nearly 34, after a brief stint with Qatar SC.[14]

International career

Madjer played for the Algeria national team for 19 years, and was present at the 1982 and 1986 FIFA World Cup finals. He retired as the nation's top goalscorer at 28, in 87 caps, having also won the Africa Cup of Nations in 1990 as the hosts incidentally beat Nigeria twice, in the opening match 5–1 and the final 1–0.[15]

Madjer's most famous goal came in Algeria's 2–1 win over Germany in the 1982 World Cup, when he opened the scoring in the 53rd minute.[16]

Post-playing career

In 1993, Madjer began coaching the Algeria national team but after failing to qualify for two 1994 major competitions, the World Cup and the CAN, he resigned, returning to Porto as a youth coordinator.[1]

He subsequently managed Qatari clubs Al Sadd SC (1997–1998) and Al-Wakrah Sport Club (1998–1999).[14]

After a quick spell with the Algeria national team in 1999, Madjer returned two years later, only to resign with aggravation in the 2002 summer.[17]

In 2005 he was appointed coach of Qatari club Al Rayyan SC.[18]

He controversially returned to the post of Algeria national team coach in October 2017, his first managerial work for over a decade, after Lucas Alcaraz failed to take the team to the 2018 FIFA World Cup.[19] The following June he was dismissed, having won twice in seven games of which six were friendlies.[20]

After his coaching spells, Madjer started a career as a professional analyst in Qatar, for Al-Jazeera Sports (beIN Sports now).[21]

In 2011 he became a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador.[22]

Career statistics

Club
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[23]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Hussein Dey 1978–79 National 1 —61–
1979–80 —43–
1980–81 ——–
1981–82 ——–
1982–83 ——–
Total 9458001040010462
Racing Paris 1983–84 Ligue 2 272050———3220
1984–85 French Division 1 23352——–285
Total 5023102——–6025
Tours (loan) 1984–85 French Division 1 72——–
Porto 1985–86 Primeira Liga 191221——2[lower-alpha 1]02313
1986–87 20664—6[lower-alpha 2]31[lower-alpha 3]13314
1987–88 11800—4[lower-alpha 2]41[lower-alpha 1]11615
1988–89 24623—3[lower-alpha 2]1—2910
1989–90 261311—6[lower-alpha 4]2—3316
1990–91 8100—4[lower-alpha 2]41[lower-alpha 1]0135
Total 108461190023145213871
Valencia (loan) 1987–88 La Liga 14400——–144
Qatar 1991–92 Qatar Stars League 96——–96
Career total 282139
  1. Appearances in Supertaça
  2. Appearance(s) in European Cup
  3. Appearance in Intercontinental Cup
  4. Appearance(s) in UEFA Cup

International
Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Madjer goal.
List of international goals scored by Rabah Madjer[24]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
120 June 198019 Juin 1965, Oran, Algeria Sierra Leone3–13–1[25]1982 World Cup qualification
220 July 1980Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Soviet Union Syria2–03–0[26]1980 Summer Olympics
310 April 198119 Juin 1965, Oran, Algeria Mali3–05–1[27]1982 African Cup of Nations qualification
44–0
51 May 198117 Juin, Constantine, Algeria Niger1–04–0[28]1982 World Cup qualification
630 August 198119 Juin 1965, Oran, Algeria Upper Volta1–07–0[29]1982 African Cup of Nations qualification
72–0
830 October 198117 Juin, Constantine, Algeria Nigeria2–12–1[30]1982 World Cup qualification
925 April 19825 Juillet, Algiers, Algeria Peru1–11–1[31]Friendly
1028 April 19825 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria Republic of Ireland2–02–0[32]Friendly
1116 June 1982El Molinón, Gijón, Spain West Germany1–02–1[33]1982 FIFA World Cup
128 April 19835 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria Benin4–06–2[34]1984 African Cup of Nations qualification
136–0
1426 April 1983Stade de l'Amitié, Cotonou, Benin Benin1–11–1[35]1984 African Cup of Nations qualification
1510 June 19835 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria Uganda1–03–0[36]Friendly
1628 August 19835 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria Senegal1–02–0[37]1984 African Cup of Nations qualification
1717 March 1984Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast Egypt1–03–1[38]1984 African Cup of Nations
1813 July 19855 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria Zambia2–02–0[39]1986 World Cup qualification
1918 August 19855 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria Kenya3–03–0[40]1986 African Cup of Nations qualification
206 October 1985El Menzah, Tunis, Tunisia Tunisia1–11–4[41]1986 World Cup qualification
2118 October 19855 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria Tunisia1–03–0[42]1986 World Cup qualification
2214 March 1986Alexandria Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt Cameroon1–02–3[43]1986 African Cup of Nations
2327 March 19875 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria Tunisia1–01–0[44]1988 African Cup of Nations qualification
247 January 198919 Mai 1956, Annaba, Algeria Zimbabwe3–03–0[45]1990 World Cup qualification
2525 June 1989National Sports Stadium, Harare, Zimbabwe Zimbabwe2–02–1[46]1990 World Cup qualification
2625 August 198919 Mai 1956, Annaba, Algeria Ivory Coast1–01–0[47]1990 World Cup qualification
272 March 19905 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria Nigeria1–05–1[48]1990 African Cup of Nations
282–0

Honours

Hussein Dey

Porto

International

Individual

References
  1. African legends: Rabah Madjer; BBC Sport, 1 September 2003
  2. Rabah Madjer; UEFA, 16 January 2003
  3. Peter Law (1 September 2003). "African legends: Rabah Madjer". BBC Sport. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  4. "SportMob – FC Porto Best Players of All Time". SportMob. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  5. Madjer calls on Porto to do it again; UEFA, 2 April 2009
  6. "1986/87: Madjer inspires Porto triumph". UEFA. 27 May 1987. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  7. "Porto, snow and Tokyo". UEFA. 9 December 2004. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  8. "Madjer lobs Porto to glory in the snow". FIFA. 13 December 2012. Archived from the original on 6 January 2019. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  9. Intercontinental Club Cup 1987; at RSSSF
  10. African Player of the Year 1987; at RSSSF
  11. Granello, Licia (22 June 1988). "L'Inter rinuncia a Madjer" [Inter renounces to Madjer]. La Repubblica (in Italian). Milan. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
  12. Chiesa, Carlo F. (February 2000). "Regine del mondo - La storia della Coppa Intercontinentale" [Queens of the world - The history of Intercontinental Cup]. Calcio 2000 (in Italian). Action Group S.r.l. p. 72.
  13. Cruyff, Johan. My Turn: The Autobiography. Pan Macmillan. p. 122.
  14. "Madjer the magnificent". FIFA. 14 October 2008. Archived from the original on 23 March 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  15. "Rabah Madjer: The Fennec who conquered Europe | Goal.com". www.goal.com. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  16. "Argelia, con fútbol disciplinado, humilló a la poderosa Alemania" [Algeria, with disciplined football, humiliated powerful Germany] (in Spanish). ABC. 17 June 1982. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  17. "Madjer shuts door on Algeria". BBC Sport. 17 July 2002. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  18. Shaheen, Amr (21 December 2005). "Madjer to coach Qatari club". BBC Sport. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  19. "Former players rally behind Algeria coach Madjer". BBC Sport. 30 October 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2018.
  20. "Algeria part ways with coach Rabah Madjer". BBC Sport. 25 June 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  21. "Algerian soccer great Rabah Madjer to become UN Goodwill Ambassador". United Nations. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  22. "Rabah Madjer". Goodwill Ambassador. UNESCO. Retrieved 26 February 2020.
  23. "Rabah Madjer". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  24. Mustapha Rabah Madjer – International Appearances; at RSSSF
  25. "Algérie 3–1 Sierra Leone" [Algeria 3–1 Sierra Leone] (in French). DZFoot. 20 June 1980. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  26. "Algérie 3–0 Syire [sic]" [Algeria 3–0 Syria] (in French). DZFoot. 20 July 1980. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  27. "Algérie 5–1 Mali" [Algeria 5–1 Mali] (in French). DZFoot. 10 April 1981. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  28. "Algérie 4–0 Niger" [Algeria 4–0 Niger] (in French). DZFoot. 1 May 1981. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  29. "Algérie 7–0 Burkina Faso" [Algeria 7–0 Burkina Faso] (in French). DZFoot. 30 August 1981. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  30. "Algérie 2–1 Nigéria" [Algeria 2–1 Nigeria] (in French). DZFoot. 30 October 1981. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  31. "Algérie 1–1 Perou" [Algeria 1–1 Peru] (in French). DZFoot. 25 April 1982. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  32. "Algérie 2–0 Irlande" [Algeria 2–0 Ireland] (in French). DZFoot. 28 April 1982. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  33. "Algérie 2–1 RF Allemagne" [Algeria 2–1 West Germany] (in French). DZFoot. 16 June 1982. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  34. "Algérie 6–2 Bénin" [Algeria 6–2 Benin] (in French). DZFoot. 8 April 1983. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  35. "Bénin 1–1 Algérie" [Benin 1–1 Algeria] (in French). DZFoot. 26 April 1983. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  36. "Algérie 3–0 Ouganda" [Algeria 3–0 Uganda] (in French). DZFoot. 10 June 1983. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  37. "Algérie 2–0 Sénégal" [Algeria 2–0 Senegal] (in French). DZFoot. 28 August 1983. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  38. "Algérie 3–1 Egypte" [Algeria 3–1 Egypt] (in French). DZFoot. 17 March 1984. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  39. "Algérie 2–0 Zambie" [Algeria 2–0 Zambia] (in French). DZFoot. 13 July 1985. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  40. "Algérie 3–0 Kenya" [Algeria 3–0 Kenya] (in French). DZFoot. 18 August 1985. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  41. "Algérie 1–1 Tunisie" [Algeria 1–1 Tunisia] (in French). DZFoot. 6 October 1985. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  42. "Algérie 3–0 Tunisie" [Algeria 3–0 Tunisia] (in French). DZFoot. 18 October 1985. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  43. "Cameroun 3–2 Algérie" [Cameroon 3–2 Algeria] (in French). DZFoot. 14 March 1986. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  44. "Algérie 1–0 Tunisie" [Algeria 1–0 Tunisia] (in French). DZFoot. 27 March 1987. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  45. "Algérie 3–0 Zimbabwe" [Algeria 3–0 Zimbabwe] (in French). DZFoot. 7 January 1989. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  46. "Zimbabwe 1–2 Algérie" [Zimbabwe 1–2 Algeria] (in French). DZFoot. 25 June 1989. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  47. "Algérie 1–0 Côte d'Ivoire" [Algeria 1–0 Ivory Coast] (in French). DZFoot. 25 August 1989. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  48. "Algérie 5–1 Nigéria" [Algeria 5–1 Nigeria] (in French). DZFoot. 2 March 1990. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  49. "Legends". Golden Foot. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  50. "IFFHS announce the 48 football legend players". IFFHS. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
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