• Rabah Madjer is Algeria’s fourth-leading appearance-maker and scorer

• Madjer played for FC Porto from 1985 till 1991

• Madjer captained Algeria to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations title in 1990

Akshat Mehrish The heroics of Rabah Madjer are memories in the present day, ripe for discovery by generations that never truly got to witness them live in action. The Algerian, a generational talent sought by some of the biggest clubs in the world, was buried beneath layers and layers of African prodigies that emerged from the continent in the later 1900s and crossed the Mediterranean to change how Europeans perceived football. Sure, Rabah Madjer was not a completely unknown quantity either; he, along with Lakhdar Belloumi, was the face of a golden generation of Algerian footballers that first put the country on the sporting map. The weight his contributions carry, however, can only be comprehended upon closer inspection.

Born in Algiers in 1958 in the twilight hours of French Algeria, Madjer, a talent from the go, sharpened his skills in the academies of his local district in Hussein Dey. He eventually joined the region’s bigwigs, NA Hussein Dey, and graduated into senior football in 1978. Rabah Madjer gained notoriety quickly for his unmistakable talent but, despite his burgeoning skills, continued to ply his trade in his native Algeria due to the country’s football association’s legislature that no individual below the age of 25 could move outside. Although it hindered the growth of many like Madjer, the reasoning behind the Algerian FA’s ruling was rational; by keeping the best talents within the country until their peak ages, the association had aimed to strengthen the local competition and foster a closer harmony between the players. It was a move to improve the Algeria national team’s prospects, and the decision bore fruit - to an extent. Algeria ended a 12-year exile from the Africa Cup of Nations in 1980 with a second-place finish. The same year, the national team reached the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games men’s football tournament. In 1982, however, Algeria clocked theirs and Africa’s most prominent accomplishment hitherto in the FIFA World Cup by securing a shocking victory against behemoths West Germany. Rabah Madjer, who scored the opener in the win against the West Germans, had played a significant role in Algeria’s recent milestones.

It was evident following the 1982 World Cup that Madjer had outgrown the local competition. With the forward still under the required age to move abroad, however, a lengthy battle ensued between him and the country’s football association, which the former eventually won. In 1983, he crossed the strait that divides Algeria from Europe and embarked on his first spell with Racing Paris in France. Rabah Madjer spent two years in France, playing for Racing Paris and later Tours on loan. In 1985, a transfer to Portuguese giants FC Porto beckoned after the Algerian had unwittingly impressed their then-coach Artur Jorge during the latter’s pilgrimage studying football and training methodology in East Germany. Jorge swiftly brought Madjer to Porto, providing the prodigious forward with the perfect stage to unleash his talents; a year of settling in later, he repaid his manager and club’s faith in the best manner possible. Madjer etched his name into history by playing a significant role in FC Porto’s maiden European Cup - Champions League - win in 1986/87. The Algerian scored thrice across the campaign, but none of his strikers carried more weight than the equaliser against Bayern Munich, 79 minutes into the final in Vienna.

Porto had trailed the German giants for much of the regulation time after conceding early through Ludwig Kogl. The tie, however, flipped just as it was approaching its final act when a pass from substitute Antonio Frasco split open the Bayern defence for Juary to dart into. Quickly closed down, Juary knocked the ball toward Rabah Madjer, who nonchalantly flicked it into the net with his back heel - a finish that, given the enormity of the occasion and what was at stake - defies belief to this day. Madjer cemented himself in the Porto folklore the following December when he scored the winner against Uruguayan giants Penarol in the Intercontinental Cup in Tokyo, confirming the Portuguese outfit as the champion of the world. The goal - with Madjer digging the ball out from the snowy field to lob it over the goalkeeper - surpassed the one he had scored with his deft touch in the European Cup final mere months ago, as claimed by none other than the Algerian himself!

“That goal in Tokyo was the one I remember with most pleasure. The back-heels were more beautiful, but that made us the champions of the world. The timing was perfect, it was in extra time. And it was a really nice goal too, from a long way out and made all the difficult by the snow,” he told FIFA in 2012. Madjer’s significant contributions weren’t limited to club football. That he proved a crucial matchwinner for Algeria on countless occasions and in the moments of their greatest triumphs makes him the legend he is today. As a final display of his skill, Madjer captained Algeria to their maiden Africa Cup of Nations victory in front of a delighted home crowd in 1990, following a disastrous FIFA World Cup exit in 1986 and countless near-misses on the continent. The forward scored twice across the tournament, for which he was honoured with the best player gong, as Algeria dominated their way to triumph, winning all five of the games they played.