Mohammed Habib Benkada

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Mohammed Habib Benkada
Personal information
Full name Mohammed Habib Benkada
Date of birth (1950-08-05) August 5, 1950 (age 75)
Place of birth Oran, Algeria
Position Centre forward
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
1974–1976 CC Sig
1976–1980 MC Oran
International career‡
1975–1976 Algeria 10 (0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14 October 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 October 2025

Mohammed Habib Benkada (born 5 August 1950 in Oran) is a former Algerian international footballer who played as a centre-forward during the 1970s. He represented CC Sig and MC Oran at club level and was selected for the Algeria national team between 1975 and 1976. Benkada was part of the Algerian squad that won the gold medal at the 1975 Mediterranean Games in Algiers. [1]

Contents

Early life and youth

Benkada was born in Oran and grew up in the nearby town of Sig where he began playing football with the local club (CC Sig). An instinctive striker, he was noted from an early age for his finishing, two-footed ability and flair — attributes that helped him stand out in regional competitions.

Club career

After emerging with CC Sig, Benkada progressed through the regional divisions. During his national service he was noticed by Rachid Mekhloufi (then coaching the military national team), which helped raise his profile. He joined MC Oran in 1976 and established himself as a fast, intelligent centre-forward capable of linking play and scoring. [2]

International career

Benkada was first called up to the Algeria national team by Rachid Mekhloufi in 1975. His debut came on 19 May 1975 in Algiers against Újpest FC (Hungary). He earned international selections through 1976 and appeared in a number of official and friendly matches. Sources vary as to the exact number of caps: some databases list 10 appearances, while other contemporary records and reports indicate higher totals (as many as 19). [3] [2]

Benkada was a member of the Algerian squad that won the gold medal at the 1975 Mediterranean Games held in Algiers — a landmark achievement for Algerian football at the time. [4]

Notable performances

One of Benkada's most memorable appearances came in an international friendly tournament in Oran that featured clubs and selections such as Werder Bremen, Partizan Belgrade and Servette. He scored a brace against Werder Bremen in a 4–0 victory for the Algerian selection — a performance often recalled as emblematic of the attacking revival promoted by Mekhloufi.

Later career and retirement

A serious knee injury interrupted Benkada's career and limited his playing time. After a spell with MC Oran in Algeria's top division he gradually retired from professional football. He retained public recognition for his contributions to the national team and for being part of the 1975 Mediterranean Games gold-medal squad. [5]

Honours

Notes and references

  1. ↑ "Habib Benkada – national team profile". National Football Teams. Archived from the original on 27 January 2025. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Habib Benkada – national team profile". National Football Teams. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  3. ↑ "Benkada — player fiche". DZFootball. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  4. 1 2 "" Une technique hors-du-commun " – article". La Nouvelle République (LNR). 18 April 2020. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  5. ↑ "Ramadhan-Foot : El Hamri remporte le tournoi". elwatan. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
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