Mahdi Ben Slimane ( ar, مهدي بن سليمان; born 1 January 1974) is a Tunisian former professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...

who played as a forward. Having begun his career at

AS Marsa Avenir Sportif de La Marsa ( ar, المستقبل الرياضي بالمرسى) or ASM is a football club from La Marsa in Tunisia. Founded in 1939, the team plays in green and yellow colours. Their ground is Stade Abdelaziz Chtioui, which has ...

in his native country he moved to France in 1996 to play for Olympique de Marseille. After just one season at the club, he joined

2. Bundesliga The 2. Bundesliga ( ) is the second division of professional football in Germany. It was implemented 11 years after the founding of the Fußball-Bundesliga as the new second division for professional football. The 2. Bundesliga is ranked below ...

side

SC Freiburg Sport-Club Freiburg e.V., commonly known as SC Freiburg () or just Freiburg, is a German football club, based in the city of Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg. It plays in the Bundesliga, having been promoted as champions from the 2. Bund ...

whom helped to promotion to the

Bundesliga The Bundesliga (; ), sometimes referred to as the Fußball-Bundesliga () or 1. Bundesliga (), is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of the German football league system, the Bundesliga is Germany's primary footba ...

. He spent half a season on loan each at Borussia Mönchengladbach (in 2000) and club

Al-Nassr Al Nassr Football Club ( ar, نادي النصر السعودي; '' Naṣr'' meaning ''Victory'') is a Saudi Arabian football club based in Riyadh. Formed in 1955, the club plays its home games at the Mrsool Park. Their home colours are yello ...

(in 2001) before leaving Freiburg and returning to Tunisia, where he spent a season and half at Club Africain. At international level, he played for the Tunisia national team and was a member of squad at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, the

1996 African Cup of Nations The 1996 African Cup of Nations was the 20th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, the football championship of Africa ( CAF). It was hosted by South Africa, who replaced original hosts Kenya. The field expanded for the first time to 16 teams, ...

, and the

1998 African Cup of Nations The 1998 African Cup of Nations in Burkina Faso was the 21st edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (ACN), the national football championship of Africa, administered by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). Just like in 1996, the field o ...

Club career

In February 2000, Ben Slimane scored a brace for

contributing to 2–0 win against

SSV Ulm SSV Ulm 1846 is a German football club from Ulm, Baden-Württemberg. The modern-day football department, officially playing as SSV Ulm 1846 Fussball, was formed on 9 March 2009 when the department separated from SSV Ulm 1846. The club's great ...

International career

Ben Slimane participated at the

scoring twice for the Tunisia national team, one goal each against DR Congo on 12 February and against

Togo Togo (), officially the Togolese Republic (french: République togolaise), is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, where its c ...

on 16 February. Together with Freiburg teammate

Zoubeir Baya Zoubeir Baya (or Beya) (; born 15 May 1971) is a Tunisian former professional footballer with a distinguished career as one of his country's most accomplished football exports. Baya, an attacking midfielder, displayed considerable skill and enter ...

, he represented his country at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

Career statistics

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

References

1973 births Living people Association football forwards Tunisian footballers Tunisian expatriate footballers AS Marsa players Olympique de Marseille players SC Freiburg players Borussia Mönchengladbach players Al Nassr FC players Club Africain players Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 players Ligue 1 players Bundesliga players 2. Bundesliga players Saudi Professional League players Footballers at the 1996 Summer Olympics Olympic footballers of Tunisia Tunisia international footballers 1998 FIFA World Cup players 1996 African Cup of Nations players 1998 African Cup of Nations players Expatriate footballers in France Expatriate footballers in Germany Expatriate footballers in Saudi Arabia Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in France Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in Germany Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia {{Tunisia-footy-bio-stub