stealing the spotlight: Islam Slimani will be a focal point for the Algeria side

Growing up, Algeria’s Islam Slimani dreamed of one day featuring for local side WB Ain Benian, an amateur club now playing its football in a regional division. At the age of 7, Slimani was invited for a trial and was initially stationed in the heart of defence in spite of his slight frame. After failing to impress in the morning session, the trial was prematurely deemed inconclusive, but the club let him stay for the afternoon session if he so desired.

Fortunately for Slimani, the team’s habitual winger was a no-show for the second tryout. Slimani replaced him on the flank and proceeded to wreak havoc from the right, dazzling the coaches who had cut him just a few hours prior. Needless to say, Slimani was retained and would spend most of his youth years at the club he once dreamed of representing.

This early childhood anecdote embodies a consistent theme in Slimani’s playing career. From the very beginning, he has been overlooked; time and time again he has had to prove his worth to coaches, supporters and even teammates. But Slimani has soared over every hurdle and is now in pole position to spearhead Algeria’s attack in Brazil.

During his first official game, Slimani replaced Rafik Djebbour with 32 minutes to play. In half of his predecessor’s game time, Slimani completed the same number of passes, had two more shots on goal, won three more aerial duels, and even scored a goal. His energy, killer instinct and never-say-die attitude was a breath of fresh air for the Algerian public who had still had Rafik Saifi-shaped hole in their hearts.

That match, at home against Rwanda, was just a steppingstone for Slimani, who went on to score five goals in five matches in World Cup qualification. Now, in less than 20 caps, he is already a national talisman and Algeria’s 10th-best all-time goal scorer.

His ascendancy is nothing short of sensational when you consider that Slimani was playing for JSM Cheraga, in Algeria’s fourth division, when Algeria last qualified for the World Cup four years ago.

Nothing can quantify a player’s value for the Algerian public like an away match in sub-Saharan Africa. That is where legitimate assessments are conducted.

In his first match against Mali, Slimani opened the scoring and battled for every ball against Mali’s physical defenders. In the subsequent away fixture against Benin, Slimani single-handedly won Algeria three points: after falling behind to a Rudy Gestede header, he bagged an equaliser in the 39th minute after latching on to a Saphir Taider through ball. And, a couple of minutes later, the striker put Algeria ahead when nodding in a set piece. Against Rwanda, in Kigali, Slimani provided an assist for the match’s only goal, cementing his position in the starting lineup.

His performances away in "L'Afrique Noire" won him the coveted European move every native Algerian footballer dreams of. French Ligue 1 side Nantes seemed most interested in his services, and even consulted coach Vahid Halilhodzic, a former Nantes player himself, about their target. In the end, however, both the player and the club agreed that the French team undervalued his abilities from a monetary standpoint. So the Algerian striker packed his bags and headed for Lisbon, where Sporting Club de Portugal saw him as a cheaper alternative to international teammate Nabil Ghilas.

Even in Lisbon, Slimani was not afforded the respect he felt he was due. At first, it was nigh on impossible for him to find playing time. Not only was he an unknown import from a relatively weak Algerian league, he also was playing second fiddle to Fredy Montero -- Sporting’s new Colombian superstar who, after just three months, led the Liga Sagres in scoring.

Characteristically, Slimani put his head down and continued to work. Whenever an opportunity presented itself, he would snatch it. When Sporting travelled to Benfica in the Taca de Portugal, for instance, he was thrown on late in the game and hit the post, then headed in an equaliser to send the match into extra time.

By the turn of the year Slimani boasted the best goals-to-minutes ratio in Portugal. He soon displaced Montero and became Sporting’s starting striker, where he would spearhead the attack and lead them to their first Champions League berth in five years.

After a successful first season in Europe, he will now look to bring the same efficiency to Brazil, where he and his teammates will look to take Algeria past the group stages for the first time in history. It's an ambitious task, but knowing Slimani and his combative disposition, it would be foolish to label the prospective feat impossible.