Saber Khalifa

Saber Khalifa (Arabic: صابر خليفة‎; born 14 October 1986) is a Tunisian international footballer who plays for Club Africain as a winger and striker.

Saber Khalifa
Khalifa playing for Tunisia at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations
Personal information
Date of birth (1986-10-14) 14 October 1986
Place of birth Gabès, Tunisia
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Playing position(s) Striker
Club information
Current team
 Club Africain
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)
2019 Emirates 9 (3)
2019– Club Africain
National team‡
2010– Tunisia 46 (7)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 18:25, 29 April 2019 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 7 April 2019

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 2–3 to Bordeaux.[6]

On 7 August 2013, Khalifa was linked with a move to Marseille,[7] and he signed a four-year contract 2 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 has 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 World Cup in Russia.[17]

Career statistics

International
As of 28 June 2018[2]
Tunisia
YearAppsGoals
201010
201121
2012113
201391
201440
201581
201611
201730
201840
Total437

International goals
Scores and results list Tunisia's goal tally first.[2]
NoDateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1.8 October 2011Stade Olympique de Radès, Radès, Tunisia Togo2–02–02012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2.9 January 2012Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Sudan1–03–0Friendly
3.5 February 2012Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon Ghana1–11–2 (a.e.t)2012 Africa Cup of Nations
4.9 June 2012Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape Verde Cape Verde1–02–12014 FIFA World Cup qualification
5.10 January 2013Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar Gabon1–01–1Friendly
6.12 June 2015Stade Olympique de Radès, Radès, Tunisia Djibouti5–18–12017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
7.4 September 2016Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet, Monastir, Tunisia Liberia3–14–1

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]

References
  1. "2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  2. "Saber Khalifa". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.
  3. Saber Khalifa at Soccerway
  4. Saber Khalifa – UEFA competition record
  5. "Saber Khalifa". lequipe.fr. Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  6. "Evain TG vs Bordeaux". soccerway.com. 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
  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.
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