Rachid Mekhloufi is no more. He died yesterday in Paris following a long illness. He was 88 years old. Rachid Mekhloufi (1936-2024) is considered the best Algerian player of all time.
The child of Sétif, where he was born on August 16, 1936, took his first classes at USFM Sétif. Very quickly, he was noticed by recruiters from French clubs excited by his budding talent.
At the end of the 1940s, his reputation began to extend beyond the borders of the Sétif department, land of Football and talented footballers. After two great seasons in the USFMS jersey, young Rachid crossed the Mediterranean and arrived in Saint-Etienne, in Forez. From the outset, he was established by coach Jean Snella, who later coached the NAHD (Hussein Dey).
The first 4 years at Saint-Etienne allowed Rachid Mekhloufi to establish himself as an indisputable starter and become one of the best players in the French championship. In the spring, like many other Algerian players playing in France, he responded to the call of the FLN and was part of the glorious FLN team which traveled the world to publicize the Algerian cause and the liberation struggle (1958-1962). ).
Following independence (1962), the players who lived together for 4 years and played around fifty matches had the choice of returning to the country or resuming their careers abroad.
This is the option that Rachid Mekhloufi chose. He was 26 years old. He left for Servette de Genève (Switzerland), where he played one season before returning to Saint-Etienne (1963-1968). The best time for him was with the Forez team. He won 3 French championship titles and a French Cup.
He completed his football career with a 2-year stay in Corsica as player coach of Bastia (1968-1970). He closed the parenthesis as a player and turned to that of coach. In all, he completed 3 stints as national coach and national technical director. It was under his leadership that Algeria won the gold medal at the Mediterranean Games in 1975.
He had a short stint at the head of the Algerian Football Federation (FAF). He coached Marsa (Tunisia) twice, the city where he lived, without forgetting the 2 seasons he spent at the head of Nedjma in Lebanon. Subsequently, he joined the CAF technical commission. As such, he was the main initiator of CHAN, a competition reserved for local players. Unfortunately, his project was derailed.
Yesterday, he left to join our Lord, leaving behind a heavy legacy. An accomplished, world-class footballer, a man of principles, he has always defended offensive and spectacular football. He greatly contributed to the epic of the glorious FLN team, of which he was, before his disappearance, one of the last three survivors of this legendary selection. Today, there are only two of them. Mohamed Maouche and Abderrahmane Defnoun may God grant them a long life. Yesterday, a great star, if not the greatest in Algerian football, passed away, leaving this discipline an orphan.
In this painful and painful circumstance, the editorial staff of El Watan presents its condolences to the family of the deceased, prays to God the Almighty and Merciful to welcome the deceased into His Vast Paradise. “To God we belong and to Him we return.”
