Six Tunisians in Ligue 1 this season…
There are six of them representing Tunisia in the French championship this season. This is less than Brazil (19), Senegal (16) or Algeria (14), but more than Switzerland (5), Germany (4) or Italy (4).
Three have been familiar faces for several years. The best known of them, Wahbi Khazri (31), originally from Ajaccio, has spent most of his career in France from his training in Bastia to Montpellier, which he joined this summer, via Bordeaux, Rennes or Saint-Etienne.
Another attacker Yoann Touzghar (35 years old), a native of Avignon, he has been scouring the French meadows for more than fifteen years: after making his debut in the national team in Amiens, he played a few seasons in Ligue 1 (Lens, Troyes, Ajaccio), but is at the lowest level, in Ligue 2 (Amiens, Lens, Auxerre, Sochaux, Troyes) which has evolved the most.
The attacking midfielder Saïf-Eddine Khaoui (27) was drawn by Marseille at Tours six years ago but failed to win on the Canebière. The Parisian by birth then went on to flourish in lower-ranking clubs (Troyes, Caen or Clermont today).
As for the news, Lorient have spent a small fortune, 4 million euros, to afford the services of the international defender Montasar Talbi. The 24-year-old has already found his place in the Breton collective (15 matches played in L1 out of 15 possible, 100% in charge).
After leaving France aged 15 for Southampton (England), after two years at Rennes, the full-back Yan Valery (23) returned to the West this summer, committing to Angers (9 games). On his side, Elias Damergy (20) has dropped to fifth place in the Rennes goalkeeping hierarchy, where he will be out of contract next summer. He’s never played for the pros before.
… but only two at the World Cup
Carthage Eagles coach Jalel Kadri has selected three players to play in France, including two in the elite: Khazri, one of the managers of the selection, and Talbi, undisputed starter with Tunisia since the end of 2021. France’s third player it is Ali Abdi (28), who is approaching one hundred games in Ligue 2 (88) with Paris FC (2019-2021) and Caen (from 2021).
David Jemmali, the Tunisian most expert in L1
Of the over-60 Tunisians who attended the French soccer league, David Jemmali sits at the top of the rankings for matches played in the elite. The Cannes-trained right-wing side played 324 games in Division 1 or Ligue 1, most of them for Girondins de Bordeaux, with whom he crowned French champions in 1999.
Khazri, active since 2009, is in second place with 248 appearances. The podium is completed by defender Alaeddine Yahia, 217 games between P1 and L1 with Guingamp, Saint-Etienne, Sedan, Nice and Lens, who also played 138 in Ligue 2.
Jemaâ, the selection with the most appearances
Most of the Tunisians who have participated in the French championship have also passed for the national team. But it’s not necessarily those who have left the most significant footprint in L1 or D1 that we find at the top of the table of most capped players with the Carthage Eagles.
Thus, David Jemmali, the undisputed starter in Bordeaux in the late 1990s in the right lane, has only worn the shirt of his national team ten times. Alaeddine Yahia, fares little better with 25 capes.
It is precisely the striker Issam Jemaâ who, among the players who have moved from France, is the one who has the most appearances for the national team, with 84 call-ups. The former Lens, Auxerre and Caen striker is also the top scorer in history, with a 36-goal lead over a certain… Wahbi Khazri (26 goals in 67 appearances).
Khazri also ranks 5th among the most selected Ligue 1 Tunisians with the national team. In addition to Jemaâ, he is preceded by defender Karim Haggui (ex-Strasbourg, 43 games in L1 between 2004 and 2006), forward Adel Sellimi (40 games for Nantes between 1996 and 1998) and midfielder Ferjani Sassi, overtaken by Metz (13 L1 and 26 L2 matches between 2014 and 2016).
Ten players present in Qatar born in France
Excluding France, 37 French-born players take part in the World Cup wearing the colors of another country. Tunisia has 12 dual nationals in its ranks, ten of whom are French-Tunisian – the highest total with Senegal (10 also).
No wonder: Tunisia was part of the French colonial empire until its independence in 1956, causing a strong diaspora in France for several generations. Thus, many players can choose, once professional, between France and Tunisia. And while some, like Wissam Ben Yedder, have opted for the rooster hit jersey, others have chosen to represent the Carthage Eagles.
The 10 Tunisians born in France at the World Cup: Mouez Hassen (Fréjus), Montassar Talbi (Paris), Nader Ghandri (Aubervilliers), Dylan Bronn (Cannes), Wajdi Kechrida (Nice), Hannibal Mejbri (Ivry-sur-Seine), Aïssa Laïdouni (Livry-Gargan), Ellyes Skhiri (Lunel), Wahbi Khazri (Ajaccio) and Naïm Sliti (Marseille).
