Four years ago, back when winning on away goals was still a thing, Algeria hearts were cruelly broken by a 124th-minute winner in their decisive World Cup qualifier against Cameroon.
Karl Toko Ekambi's goal left Algeria crushed, denied a place at the Qatar 2022 finals. Around the same time, a little-known player was having his own hopes of making it in the professional ranks in France dashed.
Fares Ghedjemis had spent his formative years at Troyes. When he was let go by them, he hoped to make enough of an impression at Le Havre to sign his first contract. Le Havre declined, leaving some to question whether Ghedjemis had the skills to make it in the professional game.
Fast forward 48 months and the fortunes of Algeria and Ghedjemis could not be any more different. Algeria qualified for the 2026 World Cup, winning Group G of African qualifying at a canter. This summer will mark the Desert Foxes' first appearance at a global finals in 12 years.
As for Ghedjemis, his determination to make it in the game has been rewarded after signing for Italian outfit Frosinone. This year, he received his first Algeria call-up and can now look forward to being part of Vladimir Petkovic's 26-man World Cup squad.
“It’s safe to say that my career path has been quite unconventional. It certainly wasn’t a smooth ride,” Ghedjemis said in an interview with Fifa.com. “I decided to go it alone.”
Rejected and forced to climb through the lower tiers of French football, Ghedjemis refused to let setbacks define him. The Montreuil-born player's tenacity and willingness to succeed set him on a new path, even if it meant biding his time in the lower leagues.
A move to Evreux, in France's fourth tier, did not pan out. When Ghedjemis made the switch to Vannes, also in the fourth tier, talent scouts started to take note.
“At that point, I knew exactly what I wanted to do,” he explained. “The idea was to work my way up through National 2 to National, and then move into the professional game.
“I knew I only had six months to make a name for myself, so it was a real lightbulb moment for me. I poured my heart and soul into it, giving it everything I had to get into a third-tier team, and I put in six months of top-class performances. That's when FC Rouen approached me.”
Rouen would prove to be the perfect finishing school for Ghedjemis. Six goals in 19 appearances highlighted a finisher's instinct to complement a winger's knack for supplying goals for teammates.
Frosinone were alerted to his services, and offered him a contract. In 18 months, Ghedjemis went from France's fourth tier to Serie A.
“It wasn't easy, that's for sure. It meant moving to a new country. The team communicated mostly in Italian rather than English, so I had to pick up the language quickly. That said, I'm mad about football. Playing in Serie A, competing in that league, meant the world to me. It was pretty easy to settle in, thanks to football.”
Frosinone were relegated at the end of the 2023/24 campaign. They were promoted back to Serie A at the end of the most recent campaign, finishing a point behind champions Venezia, with Ghedjemis one of the main driving forces, scoring 15 goals.
Ghedjemis received his first call-up for the March friendly against Guatemala. He scored in a 7-0 win, coming off the bench to replace one of his childhood heroes, Riyadh Mahrez. "It's really quite emotional to represent my country, and the country of my parents as well,” Ghedjemis said.
Four years ago, Algeria’s World Cup dream died in the most cruelly imaginable way. Yet, in the aftermath, a new generation quietly began to emerge, one shaped by resilience. Few embody that spirit more than Ghedjemis.
