Paris FC winger Ilan Kebbal says his first major international tournament offered a defining learning experience, while also giving an honest appraisal of Algeria coach Vladimir Petkovic following the team’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
Speaking on the Génération After podcast, the Algerian international looked back on a tournament that ended in a quarter-final defeat to Nigeria national football team.
Kebbal described the competition as a turning point in his development, highlighting both the intensity of the environment and his personal journey to reach that stage.
“I took it in an incredible way. I had never been involved in this kind of competition before. On top of that, we had a really good group.
I’m not going to lie, any player wants to play. Frankly, I was very happy to be there and to understand how things worked in this kind of competition.
I was coming back from a long way; six months ago, I was in Ligue 2, you think it’s impossible to play in the AFCON, and there are players ahead of me.
That’s football, it’s normal. As I said, I was ready to play 5, 10 minutes… I’m happy to have had 10 minutes of playing time.”
Turning to Petkovic, Kebbal offered a balanced view of the national team manager’s approach. “He’s a good coach, but not necessarily very open; he wants results, and since he’s been with the national team, we’ve had results.”
Reflecting on the elimination against Nigeria, Kebbal acknowledged the gap on the night while placing it in the broader context of Algeria’s recent progress.
“Against Nigeria, objectively, they were superior. They were better than us in every aspect, in terms of intensity. We came up against a stronger team.
We were a bit sluggish before this AFCON, having only managed to advance from the group stage twice before. With Vladimir Petkovic, the results are following.
Now we have to prepare for the World Cup and get out of this group stage. We know it’s difficult; even the coach is a competitor, and I think he’ll want to get out of this group stage.”
Looking ahead, Kebbal underlined his determination to remain ready for selection despite competition for places.
“There’s a break in March, if I get playing time, I’m ready, I’m just waiting for it, and even if I don’t, I’m here for the national team.
Maybe it’s up to me to do more, whether at club level or in training there. The goal is clearly the World Cup.”
His comments reflect a player balancing ambition with realism, drawing lessons from continental competition while keeping his focus on future international objectives.
