Could it be Madjer

Rabah Madjer is considered the best Arab footballer of all time. Long before Mustafa Hadji and Mohamed Zidan made their presence felt in Europe, Madjer was winning the European Cup with Porto, beating Bayern Munich in the 1987 final. At international level, Madjer’s goals helped Algeria become the first African team to qualify for back-to-back World Cups – in 1982 and 1986 – and then secure its first and only African Cup of Nations in 1990. His country’s leading international goalscorer, though, was also the ultimate team player; after the Intercontinental Cup triumph over Uruguay’s Penarol, he sold the car he won as man-of-the-match and divided the resulting cash amongst his team-mates.

After coaching stops in Qatar and with the Algerian national team, Madjer now displays his renowned football knowledge – and unmistakable mullet – in the studios of al-Jazeera Sport.

NOX: Tell us about your personal experience in the Champions Cup, especially as the only Arab who ever played in a final?
Rabah Madjer: It was a great honour to win the title with Porto, one of the biggest teams in Europe then. We beat other big teams like Dynamo Kiev and of course Bayern Munich, a team with significant history in European football. Thank God we won, and I’m really grateful that I scored a goal and then sent over the cross to my Brazilian team-mate Juary to score the winner.

NOX: You played in the old European Cup format. Do you like the Champions League?
RM: The system is better now because it gives a team a better chance to prove that they are playing at a high level. Back in the day, teams played four ties and won the cup.

NOX: But don’t you think the current system takes away the element of surprise, where a small team can win the title?
RM: There is always going to be surprise in football because it does not depend on science as much as on players’ effort. Bayer Leverkusen, for example, lost 4-1 at home against Zenit St Petersberg this year!

NOX: So, tell us more about that famous back-heel…!
RM: Honestly, I have scored two goals with my heel in my career. Two months after the final, I scored a hat-trick in a game in the Portuguese league where we won 7-1. One of the goals was also with my heel, and I thought it was a great goal! I guess it did not get the attention of the first one because the whole world was watching…

NOX: Which goal is your all-time favourite? The one against Bayern or the one for Algeria against Germany in the 1982 World Cup?
RM: In 1982, we were an inexperienced team playing in the World Cup for the first time, and the Germany squad was packed with big names – Rummenigge, Stielike and Schumacher. But we started the game strongly and didn’t back off. It was a great feeling to score against Toni Schumacher, who was regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world then.

NOX: Did the Germany goal pave your way to become the first Arab to star in Europe?
RM: When you score against Germany on the biggest football stage, people are going to ask who that player is. Following the World Cup a lot of big teams showed interest, but I ended up signing with RC Paris and two years later I moved to Porto.

NOX: You have played alongside some great players over the years, who were your favourite team-mates?
RM: We had a very special group of players in that Algerian side of the 1980s, which marked our golden era. We all started together on the national youth teams and it was always an honour to play next to players like Lakhdar Belloumi, Salah Assad and Ali Fergani. In Porto, I played next to the great midfielders Antonio Andre and Antonio Sousa, and of course the team striker and two time Golden Boot winner, Fernando Gomes.

NOX: How do you see the current status of Arab football?
RM: Honestly, I have not been following Arab teams that much as I have been focusing on international events – especially as al-Jazeera has exclusive rights to the Champions League from 2009/2010 season. But I hope that Arab football keeps on improving. I was rooting for the Egyptian team in the latest African Cup and I hope players from Egypt, the Gulf and the whole Arab world can join European teams and develop into world-class players.

Madjer Stats
International caps: 87
International goals: 40

Team honours:
• Champions League, 1987
• World Club Cup, 1987
• Portuguese League, 1988, 1990
• Portuguese Cup, 1988

Individual honours:
• African Player of the Year, 1987