Saber Khalifa

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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 37)
Place of birth Gabès, Tunisia
Height 1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s) Striker
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)
2014–2016Club Africain (loan) 44 (19)
2016–2019 Club Africain 20 (6)
2018Kuwait 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 footballer who played as a winger and striker.

Club career[edit]

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[edit]

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[edit]

International[edit]

As of 28 June 2018[2]
Tunisia
Year Apps Goals
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

International goals[edit]

Scores and results list Tunisia's goal tally first.[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

Personal life[edit]

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[edit]

  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 KhalifaUEFA competition record (archive)
  5. ^ a b c "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 KhalifaFIFA 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.