{{short description|Tunisian footballer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2024}} {{Infobox football biography |name = Saber Khalifa |image = Ivory Coast vs Tunisia 2013 AFCON (cropped).jpg |upright = |caption = Khalifa playing for [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]] at the [[2013 Africa Cup of Nations]] |full_name = |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|10|14|df=y}} |birth_place = [[Gabès]], Tunisia |height = 1.85 m<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tournament.fifadata.com/documents/FWC/2018/pdf/FWC_2018_SQUADLISTS.PDF |title=2018 FIFA World Cup Russia – List of Players |website=FIFA.com |publisher=Fédération Internationale de Football Association |date=4 June 2018 |access-date=4 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180619164139/https://tournament.fifadata.com/documents/FWC/2018/pdf/FWC_2018_SQUADLISTS.PDF |archive-date=19 June 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |position = [[Forward (association football)|Forward]] |years1 = 2005–2006 |clubs1 = [[Stade Gabèsien]] |caps1 = 29 |goals1 = 15 |years2 = 2006–2008 |clubs2 = [[Espérance de Tunis|Espérance]] |caps2 = 22 |goals2 = 1 |years3 = 2008–2010 |clubs3 = [[CS Hammam-Lif|Hammam-Lif]] |caps3 = 32 |goals3 = 20 |years4 = 2010–2011 |clubs4 = [[Espérance de Tunis|Espérance]] |caps4 = 12 |goals4 = 1 |years5 = 2011 |clubs5 = [[Al-Ahly SC (Benghazi)|Ahli Benghazi]] |caps5 = 4 |goals5 = 3 |years6 = 2011–2013 |clubs6 = [[Evian Thonon Gaillard F.C.|Evian Thonon Gaillard]] |caps6 = 56 |goals6 = 17 |years7 = 2013–2016 |clubs7 = [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]] |caps7 = 28 |goals7 = 1 |years8 = 2014–2016 |clubs8 = → [[Club Africain]] (loan) |caps8 = 44 |goals8 = 19 |years9 = 2016–2019 |clubs9 = [[Club Africain]] |caps9 = 20 |goals9 = 6 |years10 = 2018 |clubs10 = → [[Kuwait SC]] (loan) |caps10 = 0 |goals10 = 0 |years11 = 2019 |clubs11 = [[Emirates Club|Emirates]] |caps11 = 9 |goals11 = 3 |years12 = 2019–2023 |clubs12 = [[Club Africain]] |caps12 = 53 |goals12 = 11 |totalcaps = 309 |totalgoals = 97 |nationalyears1 = 2010–2018 |nationalteam1 = [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]] |nationalcaps1 = 46 |nationalgoals1 = 7 }} '''Saber Khalifa''' ({{langx|ar|صابر خليفة}}; born 14 October 1986) is a Tunisian former professional [[association football|footballer]] who played as a [[winger (association football)|winger]] and [[forward (association football)|forward]].
==Club career== Born in [[Gabès]], Khalifa has played in Tunisia, Libya and France for [[Stade Gabèsien]], [[Espérance de Tunis|Espérance]], [[CS Hammam-Lif|Hammam-Lif]], [[Al-Ahly SC (Benghazi)|Al-Ahly]].<ref name = "NFT">{{NFT player|id=40646|accessdate=}}</ref><ref name = "SW">{{Soccerway|saber-khalifa/53317}}</ref><ref>{{UEFA player|250040440}}</ref>
He joined French club [[Evian Thonon Gaillard F.C.|Evian Thonon Gaillard]] in 2011,<ref name="saber">{{cite web|title=Saber Khalifa|url=https://www.lequipe.fr/Football/FootballFicheJoueur36421.html|website=lequipe.fr|access-date=17 November 2016}}</ref> and in 2013 he was a finalist in the [[Coupe de France]] when his side lost 3–2 to Bordeaux.<ref>{{cite web|title=Evain TG vs Bordeaux|url=https://int.soccerway.com/matches/2013/05/31/france/coupe-de-france/football-croix-de-savoie-74/fc-girondins-de-bordeaux/1469947/|website=Soccerway|access-date=17 November 2016}}</ref>
On 7 August 2013, Khalifa was linked with a move to [[Olympique de Marseille|Marseille]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/23602645|title=Tunisian midfielder Saber Khlifa set to join Marseille|date=7 August 2013|access-date=7 August 2013|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref> and he signed a four-year contract two days later.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/020c-0e85a00376a7-2ed1ff41faa7-1000--tunisia-forward-khalifa-accepts-marseille-challenge/|title=Tunisia forward Khelifa accepts Marseille challenge|date=10 August 2013|access-date=10 August 2013|publisher=UEFA}}</ref> He stayed one season, playing 28 league matches and scoring once.<ref name="saber" />
On 26 July 2014, Khalifa was loaned to [[Club Africain]] with an option to buy included in the deal.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rostain|first1=Frédéric|title=Loan agreement reached for Saber Khalifa|url=http://www.om.net/en/Season/101002/Actualites/79044/Loan_agreement_reached_for_Saber_Khalifa|publisher=Olympique Marseille|access-date=27 July 2014|date=26 July 2014}}</ref>
In June 2016 Kalifa was linked with a move to Qatar to play for [[Al-Shahania Sports Club]] but this move eventually fell through.<ref>{{cite web|title=Transfers|url=http://www.dzfoot.com/2016/06/26/transferts-tiaiba-rejoint-gourmi-a-al-shahania-87651.php|website=dzfoot.com|access-date=17 November 2016}}</ref> He spent time on loan with [[Kuwait SC]] in 2018.<ref name = "SW"/>
On 14 January 2019, [[Emirates Club]] has signed Khalfia for one seasons from [[Club Africain]].<ref>[http://www.kooora.com/?n=776284/صابر خليفة ينضم لنادي الإمارات Saber Khalifa joins Emirates Club]</ref>
==International career== Khalifa made his senior international debut for [[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]] in 2010 against [[Botswana]]<ref name="saber" /><ref name = "NFT"/> and appeared in FIFA World Cup qualifying matches.<ref>{{FIFA player|329718}}</ref>
He was a member of Tunisia's squad at both the [[2012 Africa Cup of Nations|2012]] and [[2013 Africa Cup of Nations|2013]] Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/16386304|title=Tunisia name their squad for the Africa Cup of Nations|date=11 January 2012|access-date=8 August 2013|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/20798703|title=Nations Cup 2013: Tunisia name 25-man squad|date=20 December 2012|access-date=8 August 2013|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref>
Khalifa was recalled to the national team squad in October 2013, having been suspended for the previous month.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/24367234|title=Saber Khalifa returns to Tunisia squad for play-off|date=2 October 2013|access-date=3 October 2013|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref>
In December 2014 he was named as part of Tunisia's provisional squad for the [[2015 African Cup of Nations]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/30616629|title=Nations Cup 2015: Bilel Mohsni called up to Tunisia squad|date=28 December 2014|access-date=29 December 2014|first=Oluwashina|last=Okeleji|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref>
He was named in Tunisia's final 23-man squad for the [[2018 FIFA World Cup]] in Russia.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44342860|title=Tunisia World Cup squad: Leicester City's Benalouane in 23-man squad|date=2 June 2018|first=Oluwashina|last=Okeleji|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=27 August 2019}}</ref>
==Personal life== Upon signing with Marseille in August 2013, Khalifa's name was accidentally rendered as "''Khlifa''".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.20minutes.fr/sport/football/1209911-20130813-ligue-1-om-engage-saber-khalifa-non-khlifa|title= L'OM a engagé Saber Khalifa, et non pas Khlifa|trans-title=OM hired Saber Khalifa, not Khlifa|language=fr|date=13 August 2013|access-date=7 May 2014|publisher=[[20 minutes (France)|20 minutes]]}}</ref> In a video for Marseille's WebTV, he attributed this spelling mistake to the misconceived pronunciation of his name when he arrived in France.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.om.net/fr/OMtv_Online/301003/Accueil/9706/_Mon_vrai_nom_est|title=Mon vrai nom est....|trans-title=My real name is....|language=fr|date=13 August 2013|access-date=7 May 2014|publisher=[[Olympique de Marseille|OMTV]]}}</ref>
==Career statistics== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by national team and year<ref name="NFT"/> |- !National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals |- |rowspan="9"|[[Tunisia national football team|Tunisia]] |2010||1||0 |- |2011||2||1 |- |2012||11||3 |- |2013||9||1 |- |2014||4||0 |- |2015||8||1 |- |2016||1||1 |- |2017||3||0 |- |2018||4||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total!!43!!7 |}
:''Scores and results list Tunisia's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Khalifa goal.''
{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ List of international goals scored by Saber Khalifa<ref name="NFT"/> |- !scope="col"|No. !scope="col"|Date !scope="col"|Venue !scope="col"|Opponent !scope="col"|Score !scope="col"|Result !scope="col"|Competition |- | style="text-align:center"|1 || 8 October 2011 || [[Stade Olympique de Radès]], [[Radès]], Tunisia || {{fb|TOG}} || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || style="text-align:center"|2–0 || [[2012 Africa Cup of Nations qualification]] |- | style="text-align:center"|2 || 9 January 2012 || [[Zayed Sports City Stadium]], [[Abu Dhabi]], United Arab Emirates || {{fb|SUD}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|3–0 || [[Friendly (association football)|Friendly]] |- | style="text-align:center"|3 || 5 February 2012 || [[Stade de Franceville]], [[Franceville]], Gabon || {{fb|GHA}} || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || style="text-align:center"|1–2 ([[Extra time|a.e.t]]) || [[2012 Africa Cup of Nations knockout stage|2012 Africa Cup of Nations]] |- | style="text-align:center"|4 || 9 June 2012 || [[Estádio da Várzea]], [[Praia]], Cape Verde || {{fb|CPV}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|2–1 || [[2014 FIFA World Cup qualification – CAF second round|2014 FIFA World Cup qualification]] |- | style="text-align:center"|5 || 10 January 2013 || [[Saoud bin Abdulrahman Stadium]], [[Al Wakrah]], Qatar || {{fb|GAB}} || style="text-align:center"|1–0 || style="text-align:center"|1–1 || Friendly |- | style="text-align:center"|6 || 12 June 2015 || Stade Olympique de Radès, Radès, Tunisia || {{fb|DJI}} || style="text-align:center"|5–1 || style="text-align:center"|8–1 || [[2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification Group A|2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification]] |- | style="text-align:center"|7 || 4 September 2016 || [[Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet]], [[Monastir, Tunisia|Monastir]], Tunisia || {{fb|LBR}} || style="text-align:center"|3–1 || style="text-align:center"|4–1 || 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification |}
==References== {{reflist}} *[https://web.archive.org/web/20160615231929/http://www.lensois.com/2016/06/yoann-touzghar-resilie-son-contrat-au-club-africain Yoann Touzghar a résilié son contrat au Club Africain]‚ lensois.com, 12 June 2016
{{Navboxes |title=Awards |titlestyle=background: gold |list1= {{Ligue 1 Goal of the Year}} {{Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 top scorers}} }} {{Navboxes colour |title=Tunisia squads |bg=white |fg=#E70013 |list1= {{Tunisia squad 2012 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Tunisia squad 2013 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Tunisia squad 2017 Africa Cup of Nations}} {{Tunisia squad 2018 FIFA World Cup}} }}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khalifa, Saber}} [[Category:1986 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Tunisian men's footballers]] [[Category:Tunisian expatriate men's footballers]] [[Category:Tunisia men's international footballers]] [[Category:Stade Gabèsien players]] [[Category:Espérance Sportive de Tunis players]] [[Category:CS Hammam-Lif players]] [[Category:Thonon Evian Grand Genève FC players]] [[Category:Olympique de Marseille players]] [[Category:Ligue 1 players]] [[Category:2012 Africa Cup of Nations players]] [[Category:2013 Africa Cup of Nations players]] [[Category:Men's association football wingers]] [[Category:Men's association football forwards]] [[Category:Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in Libya]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Libya]] [[Category:Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in France]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in France]] [[Category:Al Ahly SCSC (Benghazi) players]] [[Category:2015 Africa Cup of Nations players]] [[Category:2017 Africa Cup of Nations players]] [[Category:Tunisian Ligue Professionnelle 1 players]] [[Category:UAE Pro League players]] [[Category:2018 FIFA World Cup players]] [[Category:Club Africain players]] [[Category:People from Gabès]] [[Category:Kuwait SC players]] [[Category:Emirates Club players]] [[Category:Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in Kuwait]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in Kuwait]] [[Category:Tunisian expatriate sportspeople in the United Arab Emirates]] [[Category:Expatriate men's footballers in the United Arab Emirates]] [[Category:Kuwait Premier League players]] [[Category:Libyan Premier League players]]