World Cup 2014: Lyon-born Carl Medjani's long road to becoming the darling of Algerian football

Following an uplifting derby win against Morocco, in early April 2011, Carl Medjani stayed in Algeria, extending his sojourn to visit family. His father is from El Harrach. Once a run-down and derelict district of Algiers, El Harrach is now a chic burgeoning suburb, replete with pastry shops and Haussmann-era apartment complexes. When visiting the local club, USM El Harrach, he was met with rapturous chanting, ‘Medjani is a Harrachi’, and he acknowledged the adulation with a modest wave. The mutual appreciation was palpable and it was clear that Medjani had become a fans's favourite. But, the Lyon-born defender was not always held in such esteem.

In fact, most were indifferent if not irritated when Medjani was first called up to represent Algeria. The cold sentiment stemmed from that fact that when Medjani was an in-demand prospect, there was no question of him joining the Algerian ranks. He was a mainstay throughout the French youth national teams, and as a two-time Toulon tournament winner with Saint-Etienne, he was linked to a whole host of European superclubs. Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Arsenal all kept tabs on Medjani who was finally purchased by Liverpool’s Gérard Houllier.

Like the majority of Houllier’s French imports, Medjani did not fulfil his potential at Anfield. So at the age of 21 he returned to l’Héxagone a rank and file player struggling for playing time.

Another explanation for the disillusionment many Algerian fans felt with Medjani’s call-up was that he was brought in some mere months before the 2010 World Cup. In accepting Rabah Saadane’s invitation, Medjani was unintentionally replacing veteran Samir Zaoui, who had accrued a quarter-century of appearances and had participated in the qualification campaign. Other veteran local players like Slimane Raho (48 caps), and Yassine Bezzaz (23 caps), were also dropped for erstwhile French youth internationals Habib Belaïd and Ryad Boudebouz.

However, unlike Boudebouz or Belaïd, Medjani did not appear phenotypically Algerian. He was not given an Arabic first name and the Valenciennes defender, on loan from Monaco, wears a sleeve of tattoos. The body art is still considered taboo in Algeria, which remains a socially conservative country.

But, as they say in France, the best response is on the pitch. Medjani began to incrementally apply himself, and his efforts did not go unnoticed. His performances were immaculate, as he rarely ever put a foot wrong. In fact, Medjani has been Vahid Halilhodzic’s most trusted player having played every minute of 2014 World Cup qualifying. He is positioned either as a ball-playing centre-half or as a ‘sentinel’, sitting in front of defence and interrupting play in midfield.

Off the pitch, Medjani takes on an adhesive role, sending personalised text messages to each of his team-mates, and checking on their respective progress at club level. He even goes out of his way to keep tabs on the Algerian Championnat, which has very little media exposure outside of the country. His interpersonal skills have been put to good use as Medjani is now Algeria’s stand-in captain should Madjid Bougherra miss out.

Now the Algerian public have taken to Medjani as much as he has them. After leaving Ajaccio last winter, Medjani was welcomed in Monaco by the club’s long-standing groundskeeper who was also Algerian. The two kindled a close relationship and on one cold match-night, the two of them spotted an Algerian flag at the Stade Louis II. The groundskeeper later told Medjani that he had been working in the principality for 14 years and that was the first Algerian flag he had ever seen in the stadium.

In a postcolonial society like that of an independent Algeria, the notion of identity has been redefined. It’s a modern country now bolstered by a diaspora of third-culture youth who come with external baggage. As the case of Medjani demonstrates, today’s Algerian might not even have full Algerian blood. The only accurate criterion we can apply is one’s love of the country. That is why Carl Medjani, with his tattoos and his European first name, is one of the most Algerian players on the Algerian national football team.