Rachid Mekhloufistriker for AS Saint-Étienne between 1954 and 1958, then between 1962 and 1968, died this Friday, November 8 at the age of 88. It was the green club which announced his death. “Stephanois tears are flowing. A great man, an immense footballer has passed away,” wrote the club’s official account on X (formerly Twitter).
His track record has been substantial: French D2 champion, four times French D1 champion, winner of the 1968 Coupe de France (he scored both goals in the final against Bordeaux). “France is you!” French President Charles de Gaulle told him when he presented the trophy.
Born in Sétif, Algeria (at the time French territory), Rachid Mekhloufi had four selections for the French team, then 11 selections with Algeria (after its independence). Between the spring of 1958 and 1962, he joined Tunis andFLN team (National Liberation Front) like other players from other clubs, abandoning the idea of participating in a World Cup (in Sweden), to fight for independence in Algeria.
With the FLN team, he will travel the world with his teammates, bringing to the lawns the Algerians’ fight for their independence, like cramped diplomats. He then returned to play for AS Saint-Étienne between 1962 and 1968.
He is currently the second top scorer in the history of ASSE with 151 goals in all competitions (behind Hervé Revelli, with 209 goals).
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