ES Setif’s Boungab makes his long-awaited breakthrough

Abderrahmene Boungab is beginning to fulfil the promise he showed in ES Setif’s youth ranks, after a series of physical setbacks delayed his long-awaited move into senior football.

The attacking midfielder is ranked 21st in Africafoot’s #TalentsAlgeriens series, which profiles 25 young players to watch in the 2026/27 Algerian Ligue 1 season. The list is necessarily subjective and considers not only ability, but also potential, expected importance to their club and the role the coming campaign could play in each player’s development.

Born on 25 May 2006 and from Amoucha in the Setif wilaya, Boungab had already made a strong impression in the club’s youth teams. However, his progress was slowed by a knee problem, a slower physical development than some of his peers and a number of other obstacles.

His emergence at senior level only began towards the end of last season. Since then, the indications have become increasingly encouraging. Boungab completed a full pre-season with the first team, scored in friendly matches and was recently called up to the Algeria under-23 squad coached by Rafik Saifi.

Mourad Bellal knows the player’s development particularly well. The former ES Setif youth coach also worked with several players who went on to become important figures for the club, including Abdelmoumene Djabou and Akram Djahnit.

Speaking to Africafoot, Bellal expressed his strong regard for his former player and suggested that Boungab had not always benefited from the most favourable circumstances during his development. His assessment reflects the belief held by many around the club that, sooner or later, an opportunity would arise for the youngster.

That opportunity began to appear during the closing stages of last season. Milutin Sredojevic had started to bring Boungab into the first-team picture before Lotfi Amrouche took charge. The circumstances were not, however, ideal for introducing large numbers of young players.

Sofiane Benkhelifa, a coach and youth developer who has worked with USMA and Olympique Akbou, joined the ES Setif staff under Amrouche. He recalls how the coaching team gradually began to watch Boungab more closely.

In Setif’s football circles, the young midfielder’s performances have even prompted comparisons with Malik Zorgane, one of the club’s major figures during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It would clearly be too early to compare their careers, given that Boungab is only starting out in professional football. The comparison does, nevertheless, underline the qualities some observers believe they recognise in him.

Boungab is viewed as a midfielder who can anticipate play, select the right pass and improve the players around him. Bellal describes him primarily as a player focused on collective football, although the youngster is not limited to distributing possession.

Benkhelifa believes Boungab can operate at several levels of midfield. He has the technical quality to play close to the forwards, while his understanding of the game also allows him to begin attacks from deeper positions and support them as they develop.

That versatility could prove valuable during his transition to senior football, particularly as he competes for a more permanent role at ES Setif.

There are still areas in which Boungab must improve. Imad Bella, a former ES Setif player who is now an agent and remains close to the club’s environment, identifies two specific areas for development. His physical history helps explain some of the delay: Boungab suffered a knee problem as a youth player and required surgery.

Bellal believes his body is now responding better to the demands of the higher level. For the first time, Boungab is approaching a professional season after completing a full preparation programme, without immediately having to make up lost physical ground.

Bellal also portrays him as a disciplined young player who does not need constant supervision. Nor does he expect the pressure of making his way at a demanding club such as ES Setif to cause him undue concern.

At 20, Boungab is entering his second season as a professional. His talent is no longer in question; the next test is whether his body, after years of setbacks, can withstand the demands of a full campaign and justify the expectations of those already predicting that he could become the club’s next number 10.

The series also includes a focus on Youcef Gherbi.