Bennacer: AFCON triumph the sweetest moment of my career

by Staff Reporter

Friday Aug 07, 2020. 16:00

Algeria international Ismael Bennacer has reflected on winning the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.

The central midfielder has described the triumph as a sweet moment for him and his country.

Bennacer, who is on the books of Italian giants AC Milan, played an instrumental role in helping Alegria clinch their maiden AFCON title since 1990.

The Desert Foxes edged out Senegal 1-0 in the final and they clinched their second continental title during the tournament which was hosted by Egypt.

Bennacer was voted the Player of the Tournament and he was stunned to see millions of Algerians on the streets of the North African country’s capital city, Algiers.

“It was the sweetest moment of my career,” Bennacer told The Athletic.

“We hadn’t won the Cup of Nations in 29 years. It was only the second time too.

“There were five million people on the streets. The population of Algiers, the capital, is three million,” the 22-year-old player added.

“But there were five million people on the streets. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”

Bennacer was born in Arles, France to a Moroccan father and an Algerian mother, but he decided to play for Algeria and he made his debut for the Desert Foxes in 2016.

He has since played 22 international matches for Algeria.