Ismaël Bennacer embodies the success of an Algerian golden generation. Born in France, with three passports (French, Moroccan, Algerian), the midfielder opted for the Fennecs in 2016, at only 18 years old. A choice justified by sporting reasons, as he explained: “My choice fell on the sporting aspect (…) I hope to make these two countries proud”,
he confided on his networks. A paid decision: in 2019, he became a best player in the CAN and raised the trophy with Algeria, establishing himself as a national idol. However, this orientation has not attracted everyone.
A disappointed Moroccan father
If Bennacer has always claimed his attachment to his three origins, his choice to represent Algeria has crushed those around him. As Provence revealed, his father, of Moroccan origin, would have liked to see him wear the jersey of the Atlas lions. An expectation as much as the family traditionally spent its summers in Morocco. But in 2016, faced with the promise of a key role among the Algerians – he who had only eight pros matches -, the player decided. An assumed decision, but which dug a symbolic distance.
Bennacer, from glory to challenges
With Algeria, Bennacer knew the peak in 2019, but also disillusions. Under Djamel Belmadi, he became a pillar, greeted for ” its humility, effort and self -denial ” According to Serge Romano, ex-assistant of Fennecs. However, failures accumulate: eliminations in the 1st round of the CAN 2021 and 2024, and the painful missed qualification for the 2022 World Cup, stolen by Cameroon in overtime. Today, under Vladimir Petkovic, Algeria is rebuilt, qualified for the CAN 2025. But Bennacer, injured in the calf in September and recent package against Paris, must still prove its regularity.
An outstanding heritage
Despite the vagaries, Bennacer remains a symbol. Adulated in Algeria for “His balanced game and his absence of ego”, According to Romano, he embodies a generation turned to the future. The fact remains that its family history, marked by this assumed but disputed choice, recalls the complexity of football identities. A chapter still open, while the Fennecs are targeting new heights.
