Saber Khalifa

Saber Khalifa
Khalifa playing for Tunisia at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations
Personal information
Date of birth (1986-10-14) 14 October 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth Gabès, Tunisia
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2005–2006 Stade Gabèsien 29 (15)
2006–2008 Espérance 22 (1)
2008–2010 Hammam-Lif 32 (20)
2010–2011 Espérance 12 (1)
2011 Ahli Benghazi 4 (3)
2011–2013 Evian Thonon Gaillard 56 (17)
2013–2016 Marseille 28 (1)
2014–2016 → Club Africain (loan) 44 (19)
2016–2019 Club Africain 20 (6)
2018 → Kuwait SC (loan) 0 (0)
2019 Emirates 9 (3)
2019–2023 Club Africain 53 (11)
International career
2010–2018 Tunisia 46 (7)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Saber Khalifa (Arabic: صابر خليفة; born 14 October 1986) is a Tunisian former professional footballer who played as a winger and forward.

Club career

Born in Gabès, Khalifa has played in Tunisia, Libya and France for Stade Gabèsien, Espérance, Hammam-Lif, Al-Ahly.[2][3][4]

He joined French club Evian Thonon Gaillard in 2011,[5] and in 2013 he was a finalist in the Coupe de France when his side lost 3–2 to Bordeaux.[6]

On 7 August 2013, Khalifa was linked with a move to Marseille,[7] and he signed a four-year contract two days later.[8] He stayed one season, playing 28 league matches and scoring once.[5]

On 26 July 2014, Khalifa was loaned to Club Africain with an option to buy included in the deal.[9]

In June 2016 Kalifa was linked with a move to Qatar to play for Al-Shahania Sports Club but this move eventually fell through.[10] He spent time on loan with Kuwait SC in 2018.[3]

On 14 January 2019, Emirates Club has signed Khalfia for one seasons from Club Africain.[11]

International career

Khalifa made his senior international debut for Tunisia in 2010 against Botswana[5][2] and appeared in FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.[12]

He was a member of Tunisia's squad at both the 2012 and 2013 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.[13][14]

Khalifa was recalled to the national team squad in October 2013, having been suspended for the previous month.[15]

In December 2014 he was named as part of Tunisia's provisional squad for the 2015 African Cup of Nations.[16]

He was named in Tunisia's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.[17]

Personal life

Upon signing with Marseille in August 2013, Khalifa's name was accidentally rendered as "Khlifa".[18] In a video for Marseille's WebTV, he attributed this spelling mistake to the misconceived pronunciation of his name when he arrived in France.[19]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by national team and year[2]
National team Year Apps Goals
Tunisia 2010 1 0
2011 2 1
2012 11 3
2013 9 1
2014 4 0
2015 8 1
2016 1 1
2017 3 0
2018 4 0
Total 43 7
Scores and results list Tunisia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Khalifa goal.
List of international goals scored by Saber Khalifa[2]
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 8 October 2011 Stade Olympique de Radès, Radès, Tunisia  Togo 2–0 2–0 2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2 9 January 2012 Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates  Sudan 1–0 3–0 Friendly
3 5 February 2012 Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon  Ghana 1–1 1–2 (a.e.t) 2012 Africa Cup of Nations
4 9 June 2012 Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape Verde  Cape Verde 1–0 2–1 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
5 10 January 2013 Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar  Gabon 1–0 1–1 Friendly
6 12 June 2015 Stade Olympique de Radès, Radès, Tunisia  Djibouti 5–1 8–1 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
7 4 September 2016 Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet, Monastir, Tunisia  Liberia 3–1 4–1 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification

References

  1. ^ "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d Saber Khalifa at National-Football-Teams.com
  3. ^ a b Saber Khalifa at Soccerway
  4. ^ Saber Khalifa – UEFA competition record (archive)
  5. ^ a b c "Saber Khalifa". lequipe.fr. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  6. ^ "Evain TG vs Bordeaux". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  7. ^ "Tunisian midfielder Saber Khlifa set to join Marseille". BBC Sport. 7 August 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
  8. ^ "Tunisia forward Khelifa accepts Marseille challenge". UEFA. 10 August 2013. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  9. ^ Rostain, Frédéric (26 July 2014). "Loan agreement reached for Saber Khalifa". Olympique Marseille. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
  10. ^ "Transfers". dzfoot.com. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  11. ^ خليفة ينضم لنادي الإمارات Saber Khalifa joins Emirates Club
  12. ^ Saber Khalifa – FIFA competition record (archived)
  13. ^ "Tunisia name their squad for the Africa Cup of Nations". BBC Sport. 11 January 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  14. ^ "Nations Cup 2013: Tunisia name 25-man squad". BBC Sport. 20 December 2012. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
  15. ^ "Saber Khalifa returns to Tunisia squad for play-off". BBC Sport. 2 October 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  16. ^ Okeleji, Oluwashina (28 December 2014). "Nations Cup 2015: Bilel Mohsni called up to Tunisia squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  17. ^ Okeleji, Oluwashina (2 June 2018). "Tunisia World Cup squad: Leicester City's Benalouane in 23-man squad". BBC Sport. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  18. ^ "L'OM a engagé Saber Khalifa, et non pas Khlifa" [OM hired Saber Khalifa, not Khlifa] (in French). 20 minutes. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  19. ^ "Mon vrai nom est..." [My real name is....] (in French). OMTV. 13 August 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2014.