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

Rabah Madjer
Madjer in 1987
Personal information
Full name Rabah Mustapha Madjer
Date of birth (1958-12-15) 15 December 1958 (age 65)
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)
1985Tours (loan) 7 (2)
1985–1991 Porto 108 (50)
1988Valencia (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
Winner 1990 Algeria
Runner-up 1980 Nigeria
Third place 1988 Morocco
Third place 1984 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] In his six-year spell with that club, he won nine major titles, 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

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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 for 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

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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

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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]

Personal life

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Madjer's son Lotfi is also a footballer and represented Qatar at youth level.[23]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[24]
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Continental Other Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Hussein Dey 1978–79 National 1 6 1
1979–80 4 3
1980–81
1981–82
1982–83
Total 94 58 0 0 10 4 0 0 104 62
Racing Paris 1983–84 Ligue 2 27 20 5 0 32 20
1984–85 French Division 1 23 3 5 2 28 5
Total 50 23 10 2 60 25
Tours (loan) 1984–85 French Division 1 7 2
Porto 1985–86 Primeira Liga 19 12 2 1 2[a] 0 23 13
1986–87 20 6 6 4 6[b] 3 1[c] 1 33 14
1987–88 11 8 0 0 4[b] 4 1[a] 1 16 15
1988–89 24 6 2 3 3[b] 1 29 10
1989–90 26 13 1 1 6[d] 2 33 16
1990–91 8 1 0 0 4[b] 4 1[a] 0 13 5
Total 108 46 11 9 0 0 23 14 5 2 138 71
Valencia (loan) 1987–88 La Liga 14 4 0 0 14 4
Qatar 1991–92 Qatar Stars League 9 6 9 6
Career total 282 139
  1. ^ a b c Appearances in Supertaça
  2. ^ a b c d Appearance(s) in European Cup
  3. ^ Appearance in Intercontinental Cup
  4. ^ Appearance(s) in UEFA Cup

International

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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[25]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 20 June 1980 19 Juin 1965, Oran, Algeria   Sierra Leone 3–1 3–1[26] 1982 World Cup qualification
2 20 July 1980 Dinamo Stadium, Minsk, Soviet Union   Syria 2–0 3–0[27] 1980 Summer Olympics
3 10 April 1981 19 Juin 1965, Oran, Algeria   Mali 3–0 5–1[28] 1982 African Cup of Nations qualification
4 4–0
5 1 May 1981 17 Juin, Constantine, Algeria   Niger 1–0 4–0[29] 1982 World Cup qualification
6 30 August 1981 19 Juin 1965, Oran, Algeria   Upper Volta 1–0 7–0[30] 1982 African Cup of Nations qualification
7 2–0
8 30 October 1981 17 Juin, Constantine, Algeria   Nigeria 2–1 2–1[31] 1982 World Cup qualification
9 25 April 1982 5 Juillet, Algiers, Algeria   Peru 1–1 1–1[32] Friendly
10 28 April 1982 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria   Republic of Ireland 2–0 2–0[33] Friendly
11 16 June 1982 El Molinón, Gijón, Spain   West Germany 1–0 2–1[34] 1982 FIFA World Cup
12 8 April 1983 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria   Benin 4–0 6–2[35] 1984 African Cup of Nations qualification
13 6–0
14 26 April 1983 Stade de l'Amitié, Cotonou, Benin   Benin 1–1 1–1[36] 1984 African Cup of Nations qualification
15 10 June 1983 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria   Uganda 1–0 3–0[37] Friendly
16 28 August 1983 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria   Senegal 1–0 2–0[38] 1984 African Cup of Nations qualification
17 17 March 1984 Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Abidjan, Ivory Coast   Egypt 1–0 3–1[39] 1984 African Cup of Nations
18 13 July 1985 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria   Zambia 2–0 2–0[40] 1986 World Cup qualification
19 18 August 1985 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria   Kenya 3–0 3–0[41] 1986 African Cup of Nations qualification
20 6 October 1985 El Menzah, Tunis, Tunisia   Tunisia 1–1 1–4[42] 1986 World Cup qualification
21 18 October 1985 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria   Tunisia 1–0 3–0[43] 1986 World Cup qualification
22 14 March 1986 Alexandria Stadium, Alexandria, Egypt   Cameroon 1–0 2–3[44] 1986 African Cup of Nations
23 27 March 1987 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria   Tunisia 1–0 1–0[45] 1988 African Cup of Nations qualification
24 7 January 1989 19 Mai 1956, Annaba, Algeria   Zimbabwe 3–0 3–0[46] 1990 World Cup qualification
25 25 June 1989 National Sports Stadium, Harare, Zimbabwe   Zimbabwe 2–0 2–1[47] 1990 World Cup qualification
26 25 August 1989 19 Mai 1956, Annaba, Algeria   Ivory Coast 1–0 1–0[48] 1990 World Cup qualification
27 2 March 1990 5 Juillet 1962, Algiers, Algeria   Nigeria 1–0 5–1[49] 1990 African Cup of Nations
28 2–0

Honours

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Hussein Dey

Porto

International

Individual

References

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  1. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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. ^ ""اختار تمثيل قطر".. ضجة في الجزائر بسبب ابن رابح ماجر". 27 June 2020.
  24. ^ "Rabah Madjer". Footballdatabase. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  25. ^ Mustapha Rabah Madjer – International Appearances; at RSSSF
  26. ^ "Algérie 3–1 Sierra Leone" [Algeria 3–1 Sierra Leone] (in French). DZFoot. 20 June 1980. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  27. ^ "Algérie 3–0 Syire [sic]" [Algeria 3–0 Syria] (in French). DZFoot. 20 July 1980. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  28. ^ "Algérie 5–1 Mali" [Algeria 5–1 Mali] (in French). DZFoot. 10 April 1981. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  29. ^ "Algérie 4–0 Niger" [Algeria 4–0 Niger] (in French). DZFoot. 1 May 1981. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  30. ^ "Algérie 7–0 Burkina Faso" [Algeria 7–0 Burkina Faso] (in French). DZFoot. 30 August 1981. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  31. ^ "Algérie 2–1 Nigéria" [Algeria 2–1 Nigeria] (in French). DZFoot. 30 October 1981. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  32. ^ "Algérie 1–1 Perou" [Algeria 1–1 Peru] (in French). DZFoot. 25 April 1982. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  33. ^ "Algérie 2–0 Irlande" [Algeria 2–0 Ireland] (in French). DZFoot. 28 April 1982. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  34. ^ "Algérie 2–1 RF Allemagne" [Algeria 2–1 West Germany] (in French). DZFoot. 16 June 1982. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  35. ^ "Algérie 6–2 Bénin" [Algeria 6–2 Benin] (in French). DZFoot. 8 April 1983. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  36. ^ "Bénin 1–1 Algérie" [Benin 1–1 Algeria] (in French). DZFoot. 26 April 1983. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  37. ^ "Algérie 3–0 Ouganda" [Algeria 3–0 Uganda] (in French). DZFoot. 10 June 1983. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  38. ^ "Algérie 2–0 Sénégal" [Algeria 2–0 Senegal] (in French). DZFoot. 28 August 1983. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  39. ^ "Algérie 3–1 Egypte" [Algeria 3–1 Egypt] (in French). DZFoot. 17 March 1984. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  40. ^ "Algérie 2–0 Zambie" [Algeria 2–0 Zambia] (in French). DZFoot. 13 July 1985. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  41. ^ "Algérie 3–0 Kenya" [Algeria 3–0 Kenya] (in French). DZFoot. 18 August 1985. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  42. ^ "Algérie 1–1 Tunisie" [Algeria 1–1 Tunisia] (in French). DZFoot. 6 October 1985. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  43. ^ "Algérie 3–0 Tunisie" [Algeria 3–0 Tunisia] (in French). DZFoot. 18 October 1985. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  44. ^ "Cameroun 3–2 Algérie" [Cameroon 3–2 Algeria] (in French). DZFoot. 14 March 1986. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  45. ^ "Algérie 1–0 Tunisie" [Algeria 1–0 Tunisia] (in French). DZFoot. 27 March 1987. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  46. ^ "Algérie 3–0 Zimbabwe" [Algeria 3–0 Zimbabwe] (in French). DZFoot. 7 January 1989. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  47. ^ "Zimbabwe 1–2 Algérie" [Zimbabwe 1–2 Algeria] (in French). DZFoot. 25 June 1989. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  48. ^ "Algérie 1–0 Côte d'Ivoire" [Algeria 1–0 Ivory Coast] (in French). DZFoot. 25 August 1989. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  49. ^ "Algérie 5–1 Nigéria" [Algeria 5–1 Nigeria] (in French). DZFoot. 2 March 1990. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  50. ^ "Ramos, Balboa named to MasterCard CONCACAF 20th Century team". Soccer Times. 15 May 1998. Archived from the original on 21 February 1999. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  51. ^ "Legends". Golden Foot. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  52. ^ "IFFHS announce the 48 football legend players". IFFHS. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
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