Rafik Halliche facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Rafik Halliche

Halliche with Algeria in 2014
Personal information
Full name	Rafik Halliche
Date of birth	(1986-09-02) 2 September 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Algiers, Algeria
Height	1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Position(s)	Centre back
Youth career
1993–2000	CREPS Ben Aknoun
2000–2005	NA Hussein Dey
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2005–2008	NA Hussein Dey	45	(1)
2008–2010	Benfica	0	(0)
2008–2010	→ Nacional (loan)	34	(0)
2010–2012	Fulham	1	(0)
2012–2014	Académica	29	(0)
2014–2017	Qatar SC	43	(5)
2017–2018	Estoril	23	(2)
2018–2020	Moreirense	31	(1)
Total		206	(9)
International career‡
2006–2008	Algeria U23	6	(0)
2008–2019	Algeria	41	(3)
Medal record Men's football Representing  Algeria Africa Cup of Nations Winner 2019 Egypt
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 July 2022 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:55, 9 September 2022 (UTC)

Rafik Halliche (born September 2, 1986) is a former professional footballer from Algeria. He played as a central defender, which is a player who helps protect the goal.

He started his career in 2005 with Hussein Dey in Algeria. Most of his playing time was spent in Portugal. He also played for teams in England, like Fulham, and in Qatar.

Halliche also played for the Algerian national team starting in 2008. He played in two World Cups and four Africa Cup of Nations tournaments. He helped Algeria win the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

Club Career Highlights

Starting Out in Algeria

Rafik Halliche was born in Algiers, the capital city of Algeria. He began playing football when he was seven years old. He first played with a club called CREPS Ben Aknoun.

After seven years there, he joined the junior teams of NA Hussein Dey. He made his first appearance as a senior player on January 30, 2006. This was in a league match against Paradou AC. He came into the game as a substitute in the 74th minute.

Playing for Nacional in Portugal

In January 2008, several French clubs were interested in Halliche. However, on January 30, he signed a four-year contract with S.L. Benfica, a big club in Portugal. Benfica immediately loaned him to another Portuguese team, C.D. Nacional. He stayed with Nacional until the end of the 2007–08 season.

Halliche played his first game for Nacional on March 30, 2008. He came on at half-time in a 2–0 home win against U.D. Leiria. He played two more games as a starter before returning to Benfica. His loan to Nacional was then extended for the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons.

Time with Fulham in England

On August 16, 2010, news came out that Halliche might move to Premier League club Fulham in England. The following week, Benfica confirmed that they had sold him. Halliche signed a three-year contract with Fulham.

Halliche played his first official game for Fulham on January 8, 2011. This was in an FA Cup match against Peterborough United. He came on as a substitute and his team won 6–2. His first league game was on January 22, also as a substitute, in a 2–0 home win against Stoke City.

In 2011, Swansea City tried to loan Halliche. However, FIFA did not allow the move to happen. This meant he remained a Fulham player. Later, on December 6, 2011, Halliche had a trial with Celtic in Scotland, but he did not join their team. On August 31, 2012, Fulham announced that Halliche's contract had ended.

Return to Portugal with Académica

Halliche went back to Portugal on August 31, 2012. He signed a two-year contract with Académica de Coimbra. During his time there, he competed for a starting spot with other defenders.

Playing in Qatar

On July 13, 2014, Halliche signed with Qatar SC, a club in Qatar.

International Career for Algeria

Halliche played his first game for the Algerian national team on May 31, 2008. This was against Senegal.

On November 18, 2009, he started in a very important game against Egypt. This game was to decide which team would go to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Algeria won 1–0 in Sudan and qualified for the World Cup for the first time in 24 years.

Halliche also played in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in Angola. He scored the only goal in a win against Mali. This goal helped keep Algeria's hopes alive in the tournament. In the semi-finals, he was sent off (given a red card) in a game against Egypt.

Halliche was chosen to play for Algeria in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He played in all of Algeria's games. The team only let in two goals in the group stage, but they did not score any goals themselves and finished last in their group.

He was also selected for the 2014 FIFA World Cup by coach Vahid Halilhodžić. Halliche was the captain for this tournament. He scored an important goal in a 4–2 group victory over South Korea on June 22. He headed the ball into the net from a corner kick.

Halliche was part of the Algerian team that won the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. This was a big achievement for him and his country.

Career Statistics

International Appearances and Goals

Scores and results list Algeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Halliche goal.

List of international goals scored by Rafik Halliche

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	14 January 2010	11 de Novembro, Luanda, Angola	Mali	1–0	1–0	2010 Africa Cup of Nations
2	22 June 2014	Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre, Brazil	South Korea	2–0	4–2	2014 FIFA World Cup
3	11 October 2014	Kamuzu Stadium, Blantyre, Malawi	Malawi	1–0	2–0	2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

Honours and Achievements

Algeria

• Africa Cup of Nations: 2019

See also

In Spanish: Rafik Halliche para niños