Ali Benouna
Ali Benouna (* July 23, 1907 or May 16, 1908 in Ech Cheliff, † 1980) was an Algerian- French footballer. He was the first player of Algerian nationality, ran aground on the French national team.
Club career
Benouna grew up in the early 20th century in Algeria, which was then occupied by France and formed a colony of European country. He belonged to the Muslim Arab majority and not the privileged European-born settlers, but could still change in 1930 in metropolitan France for FC Sète; that he was among the first Algerians who managed this step. With Sète the 175 -centimeter striker reached the qualifying for the Division 1, which was introduced in 1932 as a nationwide professional league, thus founding the professional football in France. On September 11, 1932, so the first match he made his debut in a 3-0 success of his team against the EAC Roubaix in the new league and had thus to their founders. At one time, in the Substitutions were not possible, he was firmly set in the starting eleven and missed during the season 1932/33, a single match. Despite his role as a regular force in the storm Benouna recorded at any time in his career a great success as top scorer, with which this task in the then usual five -man attack was coming teammates, and never scored more than six goals this season. Nevertheless, he remained in Sète an integral part of the team and has been using this 1934 French champion. At the same time the collection succeeded in the national cup final and the algerischstämmige offensive player was on the court, as by a 2-1 win against Olympique Marseille and this title was won.
After 1934, he could not build with Sète on the previous successes, but remained a regular player at a club, which continues took top places in the table in the elite class of French football. In 1936 he moved to six years in Sète to league rivals Stade Rennes. While there, he managed the immediate jump into the first team, he was released again as early as 1 December of the same year and found himself at second division U.S. Boulogne again. In the summer of 1937 he returned to Rennes, where he unsuccessfully fought the now relegated club in the course of the season 1937/38, to return to the first division. Personally, he succeeded in this, however, when he signed in 1938 at RC Roubaix. In the club from northern France, although he was one of the performers, but was unable to prevent relegation in 1939. In the same year of regular operation came with the outbreak of the Second World War to a halt anyway and Benouna ended after 135 Erstligapartien with 23 goals and 35 second division games with seven goals his professional career.
National
In fact, was Benouna both Algiers and French and thus eligible to play for the French national team. On February 9, 1936, he ran in a 0-3 defeat in a friendly match against Czechoslovakia for the first time for just those on and so became the first Algerian who made it into the French squad. Only Abdelkader Ben Bouali managed before the Second World War, still the same. After his first Benouna posted on March 8, 1936 in a 3-0 win against Belgium 's second appointment to the national team, which was his last at the same time.