Kamel Fathi Ghilas (born 9 March 1984) is an Algerian former professional footballer who played as a forward.

Kamel Ghilas
Ghilas in 2012
Personal information
Full name Kamel Fathi Ghilas[1]
Date of birth (1984-03-09) 9 March 1984 (age 40)
Place of birth Marseille, France
Height 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1]
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2001–2003 Vitrolles 6 (1)
2003–2006 Cannes 86 (22)
2006–2008 Vitória Guimarães 59 (18)
2008–2009 Celta Vigo 33 (13)
2009–2012 Hull City 13 (1)
2010–2011Arles-Avignon (loan) 19 (2)
2011–2012Reims (loan) 35 (14)
2012–2014 Reims 24 (0)
2013 Reims II 8 (4)
2014 Charleroi 5 (0)
Total 288 (75)
International career
2007–2012 Algeria 19 (3)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Early years

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Born in Marseille, France,[1] Ghilas started his career in amateur football, with ES Vitrolles. At the age of 19 he joined AS Cannes in the Championnat National, quickly breaking into the first team and featuring mostly as a winger.

Ghilas established himself as a starter in the 2004–05 season, going on to lead the team in scoring by netting seven times in 31 appearances. The following year he contributed with 13 as the French Riviera club narrowly missed out on promotion to Ligue 2, finishing two points behind FC Libourne-Saint-Seurin for the third and final spot.

Vitória Guimarães

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Ghilas signed for Vitória S.C. from Portugal in the summer of 2006, penning a two-year contract.[2] In his first year he ranked first in goals scored in his team, helping to a return to the Primeira Liga after one year out.[3]

Ghilas made his debut in the competition on 19 August 2007, starting in a 1–1 home draw against Vitória de Setúbal.[4] He scored six times in a further 20 league appearances to help the side finish a best-ever third and qualify to the UEFA Champions League; however, following a contract dispute, he left the Minho Province club as a free agent.[5]

Celta

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On 12 July 2008, RC Celta de Vigo announced the signing of Ghilas from Vitória,[6] with the player penning a three-year contract worth 300,000 a year.[7] He scored his first goals for the Galicians on 28 September in a 2–1 home win over CD Tenerife, in what was the season's first win.[8]

On 28 July 2009, a fee of £1.7 million was agreed for Ghilas to transfer to Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League – the move was set to be completed pending on the player agreeing personal terms and passing a medical. However, the transfer broke down in the 11th hour, with conflicting reports on the grounds: the English claimed he had failed the medical, whereas the Spaniards claimed that Blackburn had attempted to renegotiate the transfer fee and player's wages at the last minute; they attempted to disprove Rovers' claims by playing him in a friendly the following day.[9]

Hull City

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On 13 August 2009, Ghilas agreed terms with Hull City, signing a four-year deal for which Celta was paid roughly £2 million.[10] He made his debut for his new team nine days later, scoring in a 1–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers in the 61st minute after being fed a through ball from Jozy Altidore.[11]

However, Ghilas failed to perform for the East Yorkshire side subsequently, being loaned to French clubs AC Arles-Avignon[12] and Stade de Reims.[13] He made his debut for the latter on 15 August 2011, netting in a 2–1 win over AS Monaco FC.[14]

Late career

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Ghilas lining up for Reims in 2012

After scoring 14 goals in the 2011–12 campaign, being an essential offensive unit as Reims returned to Ligue 1 after more than three decades, Ghilas joined the club on a permanent deal.[15] On 30 January 2014, he moved teams and countries again, joining Belgian Pro League's R. Charleroi S.C. for six months.[16]

International career

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Although born in France, Ghilas opted to represent Algeria, making his international debut on 2 June 2007 in a 2008 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Cape Verde. Five months later he scored his first goal, in a 3–2 friendly win over Mali.

Personal life

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Ghilas' younger brother, Nabil, was also a footballer and a forward. He too played in France, Portugal and for Algeria.[17]

Career statistics

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Club

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Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National cup[a] League cup[b] Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Vitrolles 2001–02 CFA 6 1
2002–03 CFA 2 0 0
Total 6 1
Cannes 2003–04 Championnat National 18 0
2004–05 31 7
2005–06[18] 37 15
Total 86 22
Vitória Guimarães 2006–07 Segunda Liga 29 12
2007–08 Primeira Liga 30 6 2 0
Total 59 18
Celta Vigo 2008–09[19] Segunda División 33 13 0 0 33 13
Hull City 2009–10[20] Premier League 13 1 1 0 2 0 16 1
Arles-Avignon (loan) 2010–11[18] Ligue 1 19 2 1 0 0 0 20 2
Reims (loan) 2011–12[18] Ligue 2 35 14 1 0 0 0 36 14
Reims 2012–13[18] Ligue 1 23 0 1 0 0 0 24 0
2013–14[18] 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 24 0 1 0 0 0 25 0
Reims II 2011–12[18] CFA 2 8 4 8 4
Charleroi 2013–14[20] Belgian Pro League 5 0 0 0 5 0
Career total 288 75 6 0 2 0 296 75

International

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List of international goals scored by Kamel Ghilas
No. Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition
1 20 November 2007 Stade Robert Diochon, Rouen, France   Mali 2–2 3–2 Friendly
2 26 March 2008 Stade Maurice Bacquet, Paris, France   DR Congo 1–1 1–1 Friendly
3 11 February 2009 Stade Mustapha Tchaker, Blida, Algeria   Benin 2–1 2–1 Friendly

References

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  1. ^ a b c Hugman, Barry J., ed. (2010). The PFA Footballers' Who's Who 2010–11. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-84596-601-0.
  2. ^ "Ghilas assinou por 2 anos" [Ghilas signed for 2 years]. Record (in Portuguese). 15 June 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Ghilas: "Não estou cansado"" [Ghilas: "I am not tired"]. Record (in Portuguese). 28 March 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  4. ^ "Vitória começa Liga Bwin com empate caseiro (1–1)" [Vitória start Bwin League with home draw (1–1)] (in Portuguese). Guimarães TV. 20 August 2007. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Direcção desiste da renovação de Ghilas" [Board of directors give up on Ghilas renewal]. Record (in Portuguese). 20 May 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  6. ^ "El Celta se adelanta al Arsenal y ficha a Kamel Ghilas" [Celta get ahead of Arsenal and sign Kamel Ghilas]. Marca (in Spanish). 12 July 2008. Retrieved 12 July 2008.
  7. ^ "Ghilas no Celta de Vigo para tentar a subida" [Ghilas in Celta de Vigo to attempt promotion]. Record (in Portuguese). 13 July 2008. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  8. ^ "El Celta consigue su primera victoria" [Celta get first win]. Marca (in Spanish). 28 September 2008. Retrieved 10 October 2008.
  9. ^ "La venta de Ghilas se rompe" [The sale of Ghilas breaks down]. Atlántico Diario (in Spanish). 31 July 2009. Archived from the original on 3 August 2009. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
  10. ^ "Reading's Hunt signs for Hull, Ghilas follows". ESPN Soccernet. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 12 July 2017.
  11. ^ "Hull City 1–0 Bolton Wanderers". ESPN Soccernet. 22 August 2009. Archived from the original on 30 August 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  12. ^ "Tigers offload Ghilas on loan". Sky Sports. 30 July 2010. Retrieved 30 July 2010.
  13. ^ "Hull sign Austrian winger Martin Pusic following trial". BBC Sport. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2011.
  14. ^ "Verts: Première réussie pour Ghilas contre Monaco" [Greens: First strike for Ghilas against Monaco] (in French). DZFoot. 15 August 2011. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  15. ^ "Ghilas leaves Hull for Reims". Yahoo Sports. 6 July 2012. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  16. ^ "L'international Algérien Kamel Ghilas attaquant au Sporting" [Algerian international forward Kamel Ghilas at Sporting.] (in French). Sporting Charleroi. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  17. ^ "Nabil Ghilas: "Je veux faire mieux que mon frère"" [Nabil Ghilas: "I want to do better than my brother"] (in French). Le Buteur. 28 August 2012. Archived from the original on 18 December 2013. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  18. ^ a b c d e f "K. Ghilas". Soccerway. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  19. ^ Kamel Ghilas at BDFutbol
  20. ^ a b "Kamel Ghilas » Club matches". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
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