Monsef Bekrar targets key role for Algeria after return to squad

Al Ahly forward Monsef Bekrar says he wants to make a meaningful contribution to Algeria rather than simply return to the national team.

Bekrar has been included in Algeria’s squad for their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign and is part of the team’s preparations for matches against Zambia and Burundi. Algeria will then face Niger in a friendly.

“My aim is not just to return to the Algeria national team,” Bekrar told Algerian newspaper Ennahar. “I want to produce better performances and help bring happiness to the Algerian supporters.”

The forward added that his recall represented a fresh opportunity and a new challenge.

“Returning to the national team will be good for me and better than it was before,” he said. “It is a new challenge and I hope, with God’s help, that I will succeed.”

Algeria’s fixtures against Zambia and Burundi are the immediate priority, with Bekrar determined to help the side secure maximum points.

“We have two important matches against Zambia and Burundi,” he said. “We will try to give everything we have to make the Algerian people happy by winning both games.”

Bekrar, who recently joined Al Ahly, was left out of Algeria’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.

He had previously represented the national team in friendly matches, at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals and during World Cup qualifying.

New Algeria manager Ibrahim Hamdani restored Bekrar to his plans in his first squad announcement earlier this September.