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“Algiers is my city, I have my roots there, all my family, my friends. In France, I have no ties. When I can, I go home for a few days, as I have always done since playing in Europe, and not just for the selection matches. “ In three sentences, Islam Slimani, 33, summed up the life he leads, the one he imagined since he was a teenager: to become a professional footballer, to play in Europe, to wear the Algeria jersey and to maintain a bond. unwavering with his country.
The center forward is one of the main assets of the Algerian selection, which is playing its first match this Tuesday, January 11 – against Sierra Leone – in the framework of the African Cup of Nations (CAN). The stakes are high: in Cameroon, where the competition takes place, the Fennecs are defending their title of African champions, obtained in Egypt in 2019. A new challenge as the most prolific striker in the history of the national team (39 goals in 80 caps), which is also one of the few Algerian internationals to be born and to have started his career in the country.
Looking back on a sporting course closer to the end than the beginning, Islam Slimani can feel that he has achieved all of his goals. “He was spotted while playing in the club in his district of Aïn Bénian”, remembers Farid Zemiti, who was his trainer at JSM Chéraga, in the western suburbs of Algiers, at the time in Division 3: “I knew he came from a very modest background, that his parents supported him a lot, and you could sense in him a strong will to succeed in football. “
The goals that Islam Slimani scored in Chéraga between 2006 and 2009 aroused the interest of more upscale teams, including Chabab Riadhi de Bélouizdad (CRB), in Algiers, which paid a transfer fee equivalent to 8,000 euros to recruit him. But his initial performances at the CRB are erratic and the first criticisms are fired.
“I could have made more money by going to the Gulf”
“He knew how to cope, he hooked “, remembers Chafik Boukabes, journalist in the sports department of the French-speaking daily El Watan : “Playing in Algerian D3, on grounds in poor condition, in hostile stadiums, that had hardened him. I often said to my colleagues that he was a very interesting player, with great potential, a lot of character and charisma and that this boy could still improve.. “
In Algerian Ligue 1, where he earns much more than the 230 euros that Chéraga paid him, Islam Slimani accepts the harsh comments without flinching and ends up convincing the supporters of the CRB. “I wanted to succeed in Algeria, in L1, to show that I could go to Europe, he says. That was the goal: there was no question of going to the Persian Gulf, where I could have made more money, but to Europe, where we play the best football in the world. “
In May 2012, he was called to the national team by Vahid Halilhodzic, the Bosnian coach of the Fennecs, during a friendly match against Niger, and opened his international counter a week later against Rwanda in qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. The first in a long list. “Playing in Ligue 1 in my country, wearing the selection jersey, it was done. I had to confirm to go to Europe. ” It will be in Portugal and more specifically at Sporting Lisbon, from 2013 to 2016, where his 57 goals eventually convince Leicester to pay 35 million euros to lure him to England.
The stay with the Foxes will be more chaotic and interspersed with more or less convincing loans to Newcastle United, Fenerbahce Istanbul and Monaco, for five years, until his arrival at Olympique Lyonnais (OL) during the summer transfer window in 2021. However, his club life never took him away from the realities of Algerian football, and not only during his stays in Algiers and Blida for the matches of a national team of which he is one of the pillars.
“Cameroon, Senegal, Morocco … Favorites, there are many”
The 2019 African champion, who enjoys immense credit with coach Djamel Belmadi, takes an objective but uncompromising look at the situation of footballers in his country. “I managed to go to Europe because I worked a lot, I bet everything on football by taking risks, he analyzes. Very good footballers, there are a lot of them in my country. Only, we do not give them all the means to succeed. Because football is not professional enough, except in a few clubs. “
When playing the CAN, Islam Slimani wants to remain realistic about Algeria’s chances: “Our selection is strong, it is in a dynamic of victory and Djamel Belmadi works a lot, he pays attention to details, speaks to the players, knows how to listen to them. But several nations can win it, such as Cameroon, Senegal, Morocco … There are many favorites. “
The OL striker, with his usual frankness, could not for a long time hide his annoyance about the ultimately unsuccessful attempts by several European clubs to prevent certain African internationals from participating in the CAN – and even from doing so. to cancel. “This competition is not respected enough, he laments. Everyone has known for a long time that the CAN will take place in January and February, there should be no debate. We must respect Africa, which has given a lot and still gives a lot to football! “