Saber Khalifa

Saber Khalifa (Arabic: صابر خليفة; born 14 October 1986) is a Tunisian former professional footballer who played as a winger and forward.

Saber Khalifa

Khalifa playing for Tunisia at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations
Personal information
Date of birth	(1986-10-14) 14 October 1986 (age 38)
Place of birth	Gabès, Tunisia
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)[1]
Position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2005–2006	Stade Gabèsien	29	(15)
2006–2008	Espérance	22	(1)
2008–2010	Hammam-Lif	32	(20)
2010–2011	Espérance	12	(1)
2011	Ahli Benghazi	4	(3)
2011–2013	Evian Thonon Gaillard	56	(17)
2013–2016	Marseille	28	(1)
2014–2016	→ Club Africain (loan)	44	(19)
2016–2019	Club Africain	20	(6)
2018	→ Kuwait SC (loan)	0	(0)
2019	Emirates	9	(3)
2019–2023	Club Africain	53	(11)
International career
2010–2018	Tunisia	46	(7)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

Born in Gabès, Khalifa has played in Tunisia, Libya and France for Stade Gabèsien, Espérance, Hammam-Lif, Al-Ahly.^[2][3][4]

He joined French club Evian Thonon Gaillard in 2011,^[5] and in 2013 he was a finalist in the Coupe de France when his side lost 3–2 to Bordeaux.^[6]

On 7 August 2013, Khalifa was linked with a move to Marseille,^[7] and he signed a four-year contract two days later.^[8] He stayed one season, playing 28 league matches and scoring once.^[5]

On 26 July 2014, Khalifa was loaned to Club Africain with an option to buy included in the deal.^[9]

In June 2016 Kalifa was linked with a move to Qatar to play for Al-Shahania Sports Club but this move eventually fell through.^[10] He spent time on loan with Kuwait SC in 2018.^[3]

On 14 January 2019, Emirates Club has signed Khalfia for one seasons from Club Africain.^[11]

International career

Khalifa made his senior international debut for Tunisia in 2010 against Botswana^[5][2] and appeared in FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.^[12]

He was a member of Tunisia's squad at both the 2012 and 2013 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.^[13][14]

Khalifa was recalled to the national team squad in October 2013, having been suspended for the previous month.^[15]

In December 2014 he was named as part of Tunisia's provisional squad for the 2015 African Cup of Nations.^[16]

He was named in Tunisia's final 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.^[17]

Personal life

Upon signing with Marseille in August 2013, Khalifa's name was accidentally rendered as "Khlifa".^[18] In a video for Marseille's WebTV, he attributed this spelling mistake to the misconceived pronunciation of his name when he arrived in France.^[19]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by national team and year^[2]

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Tunisia	2010	1	0
	2011	2	1
	2012	11	3
	2013	9	1
	2014	4	0
	2015	8	1
	2016	1	1
	2017	3	0
	2018	4	0
Total		43	7

Scores and results list Tunisia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Khalifa goal.

List of international goals scored by Saber Khalifa^[2]

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	8 October 2011	Stade Olympique de Radès, Radès, Tunisia	Togo	2–0	2–0	2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
2	9 January 2012	Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates	Sudan	1–0	3–0	Friendly
3	5 February 2012	Stade de Franceville, Franceville, Gabon	Ghana	1–1	1–2 (a.e.t)	2012 Africa Cup of Nations
4	9 June 2012	Estádio da Várzea, Praia, Cape Verde	Cape Verde	1–0	2–1	2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	10 January 2013	Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium, Al Wakrah, Qatar	Gabon	1–0	1–1	Friendly
6	12 June 2015	Stade Olympique de Radès, Radès, Tunisia	Djibouti	5–1	8–1	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
7	4 September 2016	Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet, Monastir, Tunisia	Liberia	3–1	4–1	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification