MC Oran teenager Benhakim Hamouda stands out with football, not words

Benhakim Hamouda is the 20th player named in our #TalentsAlgeriens series, which highlights 25 young footballers to watch in Algeria’s Ligue 1 during the 2026/27 season. The MC Oran midfielder is not the most imposing player physically and rarely seeks attention away from the pitch, but his technical ability and rapid progress have already made him one of the country’s most intriguing emerging talents.

The ranking is necessarily subjective. It considers more than natural ability, taking into account each player’s potential, expected role at club level and the importance the coming season could have in their development.

Hamouda’s qualities were identified early by Aziz Lahoussine, who travelled to Oran to scout the best young players in western Algeria. The midfielder, born in 2008, immediately stood out despite being younger and smaller than many of those around him. His touch and control were sufficiently impressive for Lahoussine to make a quick decision: Hamouda would play alongside the 2007 generation.

That move reflected the trust already placed in him. Hamouda is now a professional player and works within the first-team environment at MC Oran, having made swift progress despite injuries that have interrupted his development at times.

For Lahoussine, who has previously worked with Algeria’s under-17 team and coached youth players at MC Alger and USMA, Hamouda’s rise came as no surprise. He first encountered the midfielder during a talent-identification operation in Oran and soon made him a key figure in his plans.

Hamouda was not simply selected above his age group. He also carried greater responsibility at club level than some of his international team-mates, a distinction that quickly helped him become one of Lahoussine’s trusted players. He was eventually given the captain’s armband.

That leadership role captures the contrast at the heart of Hamouda’s game. He is quiet, comfortable remaining in the background and not someone who tries to dominate a room. On the pitch, however, his influence is far more visible.

The coaches who have followed his career agree that he is difficult to define by one position. Lahoussine does not see him as a specialist ball-winner or a conventional number 10. Instead, Hamouda covers significant areas of the pitch while retaining his defensive responsibilities.

Bachir Mecheri, a former MC Oran youth coach who worked with Hamouda in the under-21 team when he was not involved with the senior squad, offers a similar assessment. He highlights the midfielder’s ability to carry the ball forward and move his team up the field rather than simply pass responsibility to someone else.

That running power with the ball does not come at the expense of his work without it. When possession changes hands, Hamouda remains involved and is expected to contribute defensively.

Sofiane Benkhelifa, a coach and youth developer who has worked with USMA, Olympique Akbou and ES Setif, uses an even simpler description of Hamouda’s all-round activity. He has also expressed regret that he was unable to persuade the player to join another club.

MC Oran recognised the potential early enough to offer Hamouda a professional contract while he was still playing in the cadet ranks.

His technical quality has occasionally prompted comparisons with Luka Modric. Lahoussine is careful not to suggest that an 18-year-old is already comparable with the Croatia midfielder and Ballon d’Or winner. The reference instead concerns certain features of a modern, hard-working midfielder, particularly Hamouda’s ability to strike the ball.

Lahoussine believes there are relatively few major weaknesses in his former captain’s game. Heading is one area he identifies for improvement, but the greater challenge lies elsewhere: Hamouda must continue developing the parts of his game that will allow him to impose himself consistently at senior level.

That does not mean a lack of commitment. Lahoussine describes a player who has never used his talent as an excuse to reduce his effort.

At MC Oran, coach Tahar Cherif El Ouazzani is preparing Hamouda for a gradual move into the senior side. He describes him as “un meneur de jeu plein de qualites et d’enthousiasme, intelligent dans le jeu” – a playmaker with considerable quality and enthusiasm who is intelligent in possession – while noting that injuries and repeated setbacks have disrupted his development.

Mecheri shares that confidence.

At 18, Hamouda is not expected to advance faster than his age allows. Yet his career has already followed an accelerated path: selected above his age group, made captain among older players, offered a professional contract while still in the youth system and brought into MC Oran’s senior environment earlier than anticipated.

His next challenge will be to take greater responsibility among more experienced midfielders. He will need to demand the ball, trust his decisions and gradually make his voice heard. For now, though, the quiet midfielder already has an effective way of making himself noticed: through his football.