Will the Qatari defender of Algerian origins, Boualem Khoukhi, receive a Rolls Royce Phantom and $3 million, which press sources reported that the Qatari Investment Fund had decided to give him as a reward for his effective contribution to the first point achieved by “Al-Anabi” in the history of his participation in the World Cup?
A question arises after the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), in an official statement, scored the equalizer for Qatar in stoppage time against Switzerland, with a header by Boualem Khoukhi on behalf of Swiss defender Miro Mohaim, as an own goal. According to the official review by FIFA, the goal was scored as “friendly fire”, after the ball struck Swiss defender Miro Mohaim before entering the net, in a shot in which Khoukhi was a party to the aerial struggle and caused the pressure that led to the error.
Whatever the answer, an established and indisputable fact remains: Boualem Khoukhi was at the heart of the moment that created the first point for the Qatar national team in the history of its participation in the World Cup. Thanks to him, the Qatar national team broke the series of failures in the World Cup following the 2022 edition, which ended without any score. By the way, Khoukhi continues to write history with Al-Annabi.
Boualem Khoukhi’s football career deserves standing, respect and appreciation. He was born on July 9, 1990 in the city of Bouharoun in the state of Tipaza. The road was long and arduous for this young man who carried the colors of the JS Cheraga team in the first real stop in his career, which allowed him to demonstrate his abilities as a multi-role player between defense and midfield.
During that period, Khoukhi attracted attention thanks to his physical strength and tactical intelligence, but he did not receive the follow-up, attention and appreciation necessary for his talent, and the big clubs in Algeria met him with great reluctance, so he did not hesitate that day to respond to a Qatari offer to move to the second team of Al-Arabi Club.
In 2009, Khoukhi left Algeria for Qatar, joining the Qatari club Al-Arabi, in a move that marked a major turning point in his career. With Al-Arabi, his level gradually developed, and he gained a lot of experience, becoming one of the well-known names within the team thanks to his discipline and ability to play in several defensive positions and in the middle of the defensive field, both with Al-Arabi and then later in a club in Al-Sadd, with which he achieved many local titles.
In 2011, Algerian coach Azzedine Ait Godi invited Khoukhi to join the under-23 team, in preparation for the London 2012 Olympic qualifiers, but the player refused to join, although the coach later confirmed that the player had given initial approval before withdrawing at the last minute.
It was clear that Khoukhi’s decision, despite his attachment to Algeria and the Mouloudia Algiers team in particular, was from the beginning to represent the Qatar national team, to begin his international career in 2013 during the West Asian Cup, in his first official appearance with “Al Annabi”.
With the Qatari national team, the player developed to become one of the most important elements of the team, and participated in several major tournaments, before he was among the golden generation that achieved a historic achievement by winning the 2019 and 2023 Asian Cup titles, and before that the Gulf Cup championship with coach Jamal Belmadi in 2014, and he became a leader within the national team, and one of its most prominent symbols, thanks to his strong personality, great experience, and also his decisive goals.
The 2026 World Cup stop comes, at the age of 35, adding a new chapter to his busy career, and he remains Algerian to the core, even if he carries colors other than those of his country.
