The untold story of Madjer’s move to FC Porto: “Tours? Never” | OneFootball

This summer marks 40 years since Rabah Madjer joined FC Porto from Matra Racing Paris. However, much about this episode remains unclear, as was evident this Thursday in the statements of Lucídio Ribeiro, the agent who handled this significant transfer.

In statements made to the portal ShootAfrica TV, during the presentation of the book “Il Était Une Fois la CAN – 70 ans d’Histoire” (“Once Upon a Time in the CAN – 70 Years of History” in Portuguese), the Portuguese businessman revealed the curious way in which the then-promising Algerian forward ended up at Estádio das Antas.

“I was in Varna, Bulgaria, attending a referees' seminar. Michel Vautrot, the famous French referee, had a copy of the France Football magazine in his bag. While flipping through it, I read that Matra Racing Paris wanted to loan Madjer to Tours. I said to myself, ‘Ah, Rabah in Tours, never!’” he began.

“I told them, ‘I’ll find something for Madjer.’ Then, I called Artur Jorge, who was the coach of FC Porto at the time, and proposed bringing Madjer to them. He immediately said yes,” completed the intermediary, who, at that time, worked mainly in the Francophone market.

From Hussein Dey to the heel in Vienna, the journey of Rabah Madjer

Born in Algiers, Rabah Madjer began his career at Hussein Dey and moved to Europe in the summer of 1983, at the age of 25, by joining Matra Racing Paris, where he made a name for himself.

The move to FC Porto occurred three years later, and it was at Estádio das Antas that he experienced the best years of his career, scoring 74 goals and providing four more assists in 147 official matches.

The highlight was, naturally, on May 27, 1987, at the Praterstadion in Vienna, where he initiated the comeback against Bayern Munich with a memorable heel goal, in a 2-1 victory that earned the Dragons the European Cup.

During the two and a half years he wore blue and white, he also won an Intercontinental Cup, a European Super Cup, two national championships, a Portuguese Cup, and a Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup. This was followed by a brief stint at Valencia before returning to FC Porto.

In his second phase at the club, he collected another championship, a Portuguese Cup, and another Cândido de Oliveira Super Cup before heading to Qatar SC, where he ended his career. Madjer also left his mark on the Algerian national team, winning the African Cup of Nations (CAN) in 1990 and the Afro-Asian Nations Cup in 1990/91.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.