Hicham Boudaoui #14

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Riyad Mahrez may be Algeria’s most famous name, and Ibrahim Maza its most exciting prospect, but the Fennecs’ most indispensable player is definitely Hicham Boudaoui. Algeria has no shortage of inventive attacking midfielders who can dribble and score. What it often lacks is a midfielder capable of covering as much ground as Boudaoui does on a consistent basis. In one passage of play, you can catch the Bechar native shielding the backline like a traditional No 6, then surging forward in a more box-to-box role to support his wingers, and even drifting into the No 10 pocket. He regularly ranks among the top runners in Ligue 1 in terms of distance covered, averaging between 11km and 12km per match, and will be tireless in the middle for Algeria this summer. He was being linked with clubs including Brighton, Marseille and Galatasaray before the tournament; the list of suitors is likely to grow.

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