Aurélien Tchouaméni: Meet the French soccer star everyone is talking about
The midfielder is already something of a household name, but this summer he is being tipped to be the next big thing in Europe, having been named by UEFA as one of their ‘100 Most Influential Players’.
And that, more than anything, has given him the drive and determination to continue to strive for greatness and win things in the game.
“I think it is not easy for players of Algerian origin to go and play in Europe,” he told FIFA.com. “I have been playing, before I was involved in the Algerian national team, in France and Germany. As a French or German player you have people waiting for you, you have a support of players around you and in the national teams they are very well supported. In England the supporters are very, very, very, very, very good and the fans are very, very, very, very good. But no, I have started playing in England and I have no support.
“So when you are not supported you are not inspired and you are not motivated. That is a common thing I see in France, and that is true in Algeria. I have had a very good support in Algeria and I have not had a good support in France, England and Germany. I have not had a good support in France or Germany, but I hope one day I will be supported in the places where I have my best support.”
Algerian football is not one to be taken lightly. The country has made little impact on the international stage. The only appearance was when it played for a qualifying match against Saudi Arabia in 2011. Algeria have never reached a major finals. It has no major trophies to its name and has only one national side that has won a major competition. The only foreign club to ever win an Algerian title is Raja Casablanca in 1979, when they won the Africa Club Champions Cup. But as has been the case throughout