Islam Slimani facts for kids
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Slimani with Algeria in 2014
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Islam Slimani | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 18 June 1988 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Algiers, Algeria | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Striker | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Westerlo | |||||||||||||||
| Number | 19 | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | JSM Chéraga | 38 | (19) | |||||||||||||
| 2009–2014 | CR Belouizdad | 98 | (32) | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2016 | Sporting CP | 82 | (48) | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2021 | Leicester City | 36 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2018 | → Newcastle United (loan) | 4 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | → Fenerbahçe (loan) | 15 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | → Monaco (loan) | 18 | (9) | |||||||||||||
| 2021–2022 | Lyon | 30 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 2022 | Sporting CP | 9 | (4) | |||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Brest | 16 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2023 | Anderlecht | 10 | (8) | |||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Coritiba | 11 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2024 | Mechelen | 14 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2024– | CR Belouizdad | 8 | (3) | |||||||||||||
| 2025– | → Westerlo (loan) | 18 | (2) | |||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||
| 2012– | Algeria | 101 | (45) | |||||||||||||
| 2014 | Algeria A' | 1 | (1) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 6 June 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23 January 2024 |
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Islam Slimani (born 18 June 1988) is a professional footballer from Algeria. He plays as a striker for Belgian Pro League club Westerlo. He is currently on loan from CR Belouizdad in Algeria. Slimani also plays for the Algeria national team.
He started his career in Algeria with JSM Chéraga and CR Belouizdad. In 2013, he moved to Europe to play for Sporting CP in Portugal. He scored many goals there and helped his team win the Taça de Portugal in 2015. In 2016, Slimani joined Leicester City for a club record fee.
Slimani has played for Algeria since 2012. He has been in many Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, winning the 2019 tournament. He also played in the 2014 FIFA World Cup, scoring two goals. He has played over 100 games for Algeria and scored 45 goals. This makes him Algeria's top goalscorer of all time.
Club Career
Starting Out in Algeria
In May 2009, Slimani joined CR Belouizdad from JSM Chéraga. He signed a two-year contract. He made his first official appearance for the club in August 2009. He played against MC Oran. In his first season with Belouizdad, he scored 8 goals in 30 games.
On 17 May 2011, Slimani scored four goals in one league game. This helped CR Belouizdad win 7–1 against JS Kabylie. Even though some French clubs were interested, Slimani chose to stay with CR Belouizdad. He signed a new two-year contract in July 2011.
Time at Sporting CP
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2013–14 Season
On 6 August 2013, Slimani moved to Sporting CP in Portugal. He often started games as a substitute. However, he became known for scoring important goals when he came off the bench. He later became a regular starter. In March 2014, he scored four goals in four matches. In December 2013, he was named the best Algerian footballer of the year.
Winning the Portuguese Cup
In his second season, Slimani became a very important player for Sporting CP. He scored his first goal of the season in a 1–1 draw against Benfica. In a European game, he scored against Schalke 04 in the last minute. Sporting won that game 4–2.
At the end of the season, Sporting finished third in the league. However, they reached the Taça de Portugal final on 31 May 2015. Slimani scored a goal in the final against Braga. This helped Sporting come back from being two goals down. They won the cup after a penalty shootout. This was his first major title with the club. He played 33 games and scored 15 goals that season.
Chasing the League Title
For the 2015–16 season, Slimani hoped to win the Primeira Liga title. Sporting had not won it for 14 years. The new coach, Jorge Jesus, relied on Slimani to help win titles. Slimani helped Sporting win the Supertaça against Benfica. This was his second title.
He scored his first league goal of the season on 4 October 2015. He also scored his first hat-trick in the Portuguese league. Slimani scored two goals against Porto's goalkeeper Iker Casillas. This helped his team get back to the top of the league. He then scored in four games in a row.
Sporting lost a key match against Benfica, which made them drop to second place. Slimani scored his 20th goal of the season soon after. He continued to score many goals, including two against Porto. In the last game, he scored his 27th goal of the season. Sporting finished second, just two points behind Benfica. Slimani scored 27 league goals that season.
He played his last game for Sporting on 28 August 2016. He scored his final goal for the club in a 2–1 win against Porto.
Moving to Leicester City
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2016–17 Season
On 31 August 2016, Slimani joined Premier League champions Leicester City. He signed a five-year contract. The transfer fee was reported to be £28 million, which was a club record for Leicester.
He made his debut for Leicester on 14 September in the UEFA Champions League. Leicester won 3–0 against Club Brugge. Three days later, he played his first Premier League game. He scored two goals in a 3–0 win against Burnley. On 27 September, Slimani scored the only goal in Leicester's 1–0 Champions League win against Porto. This was his sixth goal against goalkeeper Iker Casillas in 2016.
Slimani scored the winning goal against West Ham United on 31 December. This was Leicester's fifth league win that season. He scored four of his five league goals from headers. After playing in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations, Slimani was injured. He played less and scored two more goals that season.
Loan Spells
On 31 January 2018, Slimani joined Newcastle United on loan. He made his debut two months later in a 1–0 win. He helped set up the only goal of the game.
On 11 August 2018, Slimani went on loan to Süper Lig club Fenerbahçe in Turkey. He scored his first goal for them on 1 September 2018.
On 21 August 2019, Slimani joined Ligue 1 club Monaco on loan. He scored nine goals and made seven assists in 18 league games. The season ended early due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Monaco did not sign him permanently.
Later Career in Europe and Brazil
On 13 January 2021, Slimani signed with Ligue 1 club Lyon in France. He made his league debut on 18 January 2021. He scored his first goal for Lyon on 9 February in a cup game. His contract with Lyon ended on 1 February 2022.
Slimani then returned to Sporting CP in Portugal. He signed a contract until the end of the 2022–23 season. He played his first game back on 6 February 2022. He scored his first goal on 26 February.
On 25 August 2022, Slimani signed with Ligue 1 side Brest. On 1 February 2023, he joined Belgian Pro League club Anderlecht. He signed a contract until the end of the 2022–23 season.
On 20 August 2023, Slimani moved to Brazil. He signed with Coritiba until December 2024. On 1 February 2024, he signed for Belgian side Mechelen.
In September 2024, Slimani rejoined his former Algerian club, CR Belouizdad. On 16 January 2025, he returned to Belgium. He signed with Westerlo on loan until the end of the 2024–25 season.
International Career
In May 2012, Slimani was called up to the Algeria national team for the first time. On 26 May, he made his debut in a friendly game. A week later, on 2 June, Slimani scored his first international goal for Algeria. This was in a 4–0 win against Rwanda. He scored again in the next game against Mali. He then scored two more goals against Gambia.
Slimani played in the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. Algeria was eliminated in the first stage.
FIFA World Cup 2014
Algeria qualified for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Slimani was part of the 23-man squad. On 22 June 2014, Slimani scored the first goal for Algeria in a 4–2 group match against South Korea. He also helped set up another goal.
On 26 June, Slimani scored with a header in Algeria's 1–1 draw with Russia. This goal helped Algeria qualify for the knockout rounds of the World Cup for the first time ever. In the next match against Germany, Slimani had a goal disallowed. Algeria lost 2–1 after extra time. However, they were praised for their great performance in the tournament.
Africa Cup of Nations Success
In Algeria's first match of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, Slimani scored the final goal. Algeria won 3–1 against South Africa.
Slimani was part of the Algeria team that won the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He scored one goal in the tournament against Tanzania.
On 2 September 2021, Slimani scored four goals in an 8–0 win against Djibouti. This was during a World Cup qualifying game. On 8 October 2021, he scored two goals against Niger. This made him Algeria's all-time top scorer with 38 goals. He passed Abdelhafid Tasfaout's record.
In December 2023, he was chosen for Algeria's squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. He played his 100th game for the national team in the opening match against Angola.
Career Statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| CR Belouizdad | 2009–10 | Algerian National | 30 | 8 | 3 | 1 | — | 8 | 1 | — | 41 | 10 | ||
| 2010–11 | Algerian Ligue 1 | 27 | 10 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 30 | 11 | ||||
| 2011–12 | 26 | 10 | 5 | 2 | — | — | — | 31 | 12 | |||||
| 2012–13 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 4 | — | — | 2 | 2 | 20 | 10 | ||||
| Total | 98 | 32 | 14 | 8 | — | 8 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 122 | 43 | |||
| Sporting CP | 2013–14 | Primeira Liga | 26 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 10 | ||
| 2014–15 | 21 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | — | 33 | 15 | |||
| 2015–16 | 33 | 27 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 31 | ||
| 2016–17 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | ||||||
| Total | 82 | 48 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 109 | 57 | ||
| Leicester City | 2016–17 | Premier League | 23 | 7 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 1 | — | 29 | 8 | ||
| 2017–18 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 4 | — | — | 18 | 5 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| Total | 36 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 1 | — | 48 | 13 | |||
| Newcastle United (loan) | 2017–18 | Premier League | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | ||||
| Fenerbahçe (loan) | 2018–19 | Süper Lig | 15 | 1 | 3 | 1 | — | 7 | 3 | — | 25 | 5 | ||
| Monaco (loan) | 2019–20 | Ligue 1 | 18 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 19 | 9 | ||
| Lyon | 2020–21 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 21 | 4 | ||||
| 2021–22 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 | 3 | — | 16 | 4 | ||||
| Total | 30 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | — | 37 | 8 | |||
| Sporting CP | 2021–22 | Primeira Liga | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 | 0 | — | 12 | 4 | ||
| Brest | 2022–23 | Ligue 1 | 16 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 18 | 2 | |||
| Anderlecht | 2022–23 | Belgian Pro League | 10 | 8 | — | — | 6 | 1 | — | 16 | 9 | |||
| Coritiba | 2023 | Série A | 5 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | ||||
| Career total | 323 | 118 | 36 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 46 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 415 | 153 | ||
International
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 2012 | 6 | 5 |
| 2013 | 12 | 5 | |
| 2014 | 13 | 4 | |
| 2015 | 11 | 7 | |
| 2016 | 5 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 9 | 3 | |
| 2018 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 9 | 3 | |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 11 | 9 | |
| 2022 | 12 | 3 | |
| 2023 | 6 | 3 | |
| 2024 | 4 | 1 | |
| Total | 102 | 46 | |
Honours
Sporting CP
- Taça de Portugal: 2014–15
- Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira: 2015
Algeria
Individual
- Algerian Footballer of the Year: 2013
- SJPF Player of the Month: December 2015
- Leões/Lions Awards 2016: Player of the Season
See also
In Spanish: Islam Slimani para niños
- List of men's footballers with 100 or more international caps
- List of top international men's football goalscorers by country
