The Rise, Fall, and Rise of the Algerian National Team

Algeria finally returned to the cream of African Football’s Crop, but the journey was anything but smooth

Not many expected Algeria to be in Friday’s African Cup of Nations final a month ago, but it wasn’t due to a lack of talent. In fact, it rarely ever is. Thanks to a seemingly limitless stream of young players born in France who choose to appear for their former generation’s country of birth, Les Fennecs have always been able to send out lineups with players from Europe’s elite leagues. Just look through the squad. You have two time Premier League title winning Riyad Mahrez, regarded as one of Europe’s elite up and coming talents before his move to Manchester City slowed his previously astronomical rise. Faouzi Ghoulam,(ruled out this tournament due to just returning from injury) is regarded as one of the best fullbacks in Italy. Yacine Brahimi of Porto is a former African Player of the Year. All throughout the squad are players like Aissa Mandi, Sofiane Feghouli and others who parade some of the biggest teams in their respective leagues. The problem with the Algerian National team, which may be indicative of North African football in general, is a mentality issue.

Algeria were one of the surprises of the 2014 World Cup, advancing from a group of Belgium, Russia, and South Korea to reach the knockout rounds for the first time in the country’s history (a controversial fact, but one for another day). They then faced the eventual world champions Germany in a game where Manuel Neuer may have ultimately cemented his legacy as one of the greatest goal keepers in history. Time and time again, Algeria broke through Germany’s shell shocked, older defense, only to be denied by Neuer and his famous sweeper keeper ability. Les Fennecs (the Desert Foxes) took them to extra time, where the Germans’ superior experience and quality guided them to a 2-1 victory, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Algeria had finally returned to the top of African football, and it appeared they would enter the 2015 African Cup of Nations as the overwhelming favorite to win the competition.

At least we thought so. World cup manager Vahid Halilhodzic left the group to go manage Japan, and in came French manager Christian Gourcuff(father of Yohan). Gourcuff would become the first of 7 managers from 2015 to now to try, and fail, to return Algeria to its previous glory. 2015 AFCON failure was swiftly followed by a complete horror show in World Cup qualifying, where they came dead last in their group and subsequently failed to even make the 2018 tournament in Russia. The issue was mentality. For decades, North African football embodied the lazy, nonchalant footballer who was more interested in how many times he could sit a defender down than in putting in the work on and off the field to bring team success. No one represented that more than les Fennecs from 2015 to 2018, and following a run of 4 consecutive friendly defeats, the Algerian federation fired the legendary Rabah Madjer, and instead turned to another former player, French born Djamel Belmadi.

Belmadi came into the job with one mindset: incorporate the fast, aggressive, no nonsense modern game into his team. Out went the team’s “bigger name” players like Islam Slimani, Yacine Brahimi and Nabil Bentaleb. In came younger, faster, hungrier players in the form of Youcef Atal, Adam Ounas, Ismael Bennacer, and Adlene Guedioura. The results improved immediately, as Belmadi’s side cruised through AFCON qualifying winning every game in their AFCON group, beat Guinea handedly, and squeaked past Ivory Coast on penalties. This set up a semi final meeting of two African juggernauts: Nigeria and Algeria. The two teams seemed set for extra time and penalties until Sofiane Feghouli was trampled right outside the box in the 95th minute. Who else to take the free kick and send the country into euphoria than Algeria’s golden boy? Riyad Mahrez did exactly that, guiding the ball past Daniel Akpeyi and sending the team to its first final since 1990.

That final was coincidently also against Nigeria, and remains the only trophy Algeria has ever lifted, an astonishing fact for Africa’s biggest country. However, their fans go into Friday’s final feeling optimistic. Not because Kalidou Koulibaly is suspended. Not because they’ve already beaten Senegal this tournament in the group stage. No, it’s because they finally have a team to support who they know will match the fiery passion and intensity those fans have. Win or lose, Les Fennecs have finally returned to the top of African Football once again.