Rachid Mekhloufi, a historic figure of Algerian football and legend of the French club of Saint-Etienne, died this Friday at 88 after a long illness, confirmed his relatives.
Born in 1936 in Sétif, in Algeria, Mekhloufi began his football career in the 1950s, first within the Sports Union of Sétif and then of the Islamic Union of Sétif. It was in 1954 that he made the big jump to Europe, joining the Saint-Etienne club. There, he quickly established himself as a key element, and illustrated by his exceptional performance. He continued his career in Saint-Etienne, before completing his player career in 1968 at SC Bastia.
In 1958, while Algeria was fighting for its independence, Mekhloufi joined the FLN team, which represented the struggle for independence through international matches, alongside several other players, such as Mohamed Maouche and Said Amara.
After hanging up the crampons in 1970, Mekhloufi embarked on a coach career. He takes the reins of the Algerian national team and won several prestigious titles. He led his team to the gold medal at the 1975 Mediterranean Games by beating France (3-2 after extension) and a new gold medal in 1978 during the African Games, thanks to a victory over Nigeria (1-0) at the July 5 stadium in Algiers.
Rachid Mekhloufi also contributed as a member of the technical staff of the national team at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
The Saint-Etienne club expressed its deep sadness through a message on the X platform (formerly Twitter).
Stéphanois tears flow.
A tall man, a huge footballer left.
Rachid Mekhloufi is no longer, but his heritage will never leave us. 🖤 pic.twitter.com/kkmcpcdwec
-AS Saint-Étienne (@asseficiel) November 8, 2024
