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Islam Slimani scores with a header.

Islam Slimani

Islam Slimani

Leicester City Badge.

Slimani starts strongly for Leicester

The Premier League Champions, Leicester City, got back to winning ways in the Premier League last weekend thanks to two goals from their new striker - Islam Slimani. Slimani was making his Premier League debut and didn't take very long to get used to the high-speed game in England. After missing one good chance in the first half he wasn't going to say no to a second opportunity. In the 45th minute, Christian Fuchs put a free-kick into the penalty area and Slimani put an unstoppable header past Burnley's goalkeeper. Slimani wasn't finished there! Just three minutes into the second half, Slimani and Leicester had their second goal of the afternoon. Riyad Mahrez crossed the ball, Jamie Vardy flicked on the ball with the back of his foot, and Slimani headed the ball powerfully into the net. An own goal, after good work from Mahrez, made the score Leicester 3-0 Burnley and a debut to remember for Islam Slimani.

Slimani celebrates one of his two goals against Burnley.

It was good for Slimani and for everyone. It was a very good performance but he also linked very well with his teammates and pressed very hard. We bought him for these characteristics. Leicester City manager, Claudio Ranieri.

Which striker made the best ever Premier League debut?

Slimani scored twice on his Premier League debut.

Slimani scored twice on his Premier League debut and, in general, played very well - working very hard without the ball and linking well with his strike partner, Vardy, and his international teammate, Mahrez. But, was it the best ever Premier League debut? We've chosen three other Premier League debuts for you to remember.

  • Jurgen Klinsmann, Tottenham v Sheffield Wednesday, 1994

Klinsmann made a surprising move to the Premier League in the 1994/95 season. When he arrived at Tottenham, he wasn't liked by fans in England because he was part of the German team that had beaten England in the World Cup semi-final in 1990. He also had a reputation as a diver. But he won over the fans with some great performances and a good sense of humour. On his debut, he made two assists and scored a last-minute winner to give Spurs a 4-3 win. To celebrate, he ran over to the fans and dived on the floor as a joke! Where is he now? He's the coach of the USA national team.

Jurgen Klinsmann became very popular in England when he played for Spurs.

It was a big surprise when Ravanelli moved to Middlesbrough in 1996. The previous season, Ravanelli had played for Juventus and had scored Juve's goal in the Champions League Final as they beat Ajax in a penalty shoot-out. He couldn't have wished for a better debut - he scored a hat-trick against Liverpool! The season didn't finish so well for Middlesbrough. Boro got to the final of both cup competitions but lost them both AND were relegated from the Premier League. Ravanelli also left at the end of the season. Where is he now? He works as a TV pundit for Italian television.

Thousands of Middlesbrough fans came to meet Ravanelli when he arrived from Juve.

When Aguero arrived at Manchester City he was expected to score goals. City had paid Atletico Madrid £38 million for the Argentinian striker for him to score the goals that would help City become a force in English and European football. But City fans probably didn't know how quickly Aguero would adapt to English football. The answer was not very long. Against Swansea City, Aguero made his debut as a substitute in the 59th minute. He scored just 9 minutes later, then provided an assist for David Silva and then, in the last minute, scored a wonderful long-range goal from outside the penalty area. Where is he now? 145 goals later he's still with City and probably the best striker in the Premier League. 

Sergio Aguero celebrating his first-ever Man City goal in 2011.

Who do you think made the best debut? Check out our vote at the bottom of the page!

What do we know about Islam Slimani?

Riyad Mahrez was an important factor in Slimani's arrival at Leicester.

Islam Slimani was born on 18 June 1988 in Algiers the capital of Algeria. Unlike many other players, Slimani didn't join a European club early in his career. He first played for JSM Cheraga, a small club from just outside Algiers. In 2009, Slimani signed for CR Belouizdad in the Algerian first division. Despite interest from some French clubs, Slimani stayed at Belouizdad for four years. Finally, in 2013, Slimani made a move to Europe, but it wasn't to France. Slimani moved to Portugal to play for Sporting Lisbon. While in the Portuguese capital, Slimani scored a lot of goals. He scored 57 in only 109 matches but it was last season that caught the eye of some Premier League clubs. In 2015/16, Slimani scored 31 goals in 44 matches. On the final day of the summer transfer window, Leicester City broke their transfer record (£28 million) to bring Slimani to Leicester and play for the Premier League Champions.

It's a great honour for me and my family to be here with a club as great as Leicester. Islam Slimani.

Does Slimani play for Algeria?

Slimani in action for Algeria against Germany at the World Cup in 2014.

Islam Slimani has a great record for the Algerian national team or the 'Desert Foxes' as they are sometimes known. He's scored 23 goals in only 44 matches and only 3 of these goals have come in friendly matches which shows that he is a player who scores in important games. Two of his international goals came at the World Cup in Brazil. The first was in a 4-2 win against South Korea and the second in a 1-1 draw against Russia which sent Algeria into the last-16 for the first ever time. Algeria lost to the eventual World Cup Winners - Germany, but only after an exciting match, with Germany winning in extra-time. Slimani will not be alone when playing for the 'Foxes' of Leicester. His international teammate, Riyad Mahrez, has been at Leicester for a few years and played an important part in Slimani becoming the second Algerian to join the club. If Slimani can be as successful as Mahrez, Leicester will have another fantastic season!

My dear friend Riyad Mahrez spoke to me lots of times about Leicester and how good a club it is.  Leicester is without doubt the most supported club in Algeria now. Islam Slimani talking about why he joined Leicester City.

Will Slimani be a success at Leicester?

There was a lot of football vocabulary in this article. Try the quiz below and test your understanding of football vocabulary. You can find all the answers in the text above.

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Who made the best Premier League debut?

There have been some great Premier League debuts over the years. Islam Slimani's debut for Leicester was one of them and we looked at three others in this article. Which one do you think was the best?

What do you think?

Islam Slimani had a great debut for Leicester City. How well will he do for Leicester? Will he score a lot of goals? 

Can you remember any memorable debuts? Is it important to make a good start when you join a new club?

Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani are teammates for club and country. Is this helpful for club and national teams?

Do you understand all the words in the article? Was there any vocabulary that you would like some help with? 

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Comentários

hsn's picture
hsn
08/10/2022
TR
5525
points

Scoring by flicking on the ball with the back of the foot.That is real master work.I couldn't have imagined for a better goal.


hsn's picture
hsn
08/10/2022 16:04
Turkey
Tottenham Hotspur
5525

Scoring by flicking on the ball with the back of the foot.That is real master work.I couldn't have imagined for a better goal.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
27/06/2020
TR
6510
points

It makes a good link between players for both clubs and countries as we see nowadays Trezeguet and Elmohamady at Aston Villa.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
27/06/2020 01:11
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

It makes a good link between players for both clubs and countries as we see nowadays Trezeguet and Elmohamady at Aston Villa.

mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
27/06/2020
TR
6510
points

He had a fantastic start but unfortunately he was inconsistent.
It's very important to start well as it's always said that first impressions last forever.


mobeckham's picture
mobeckham
27/06/2020 01:09
Turkey
Manchester United
6510

He had a fantastic start but unfortunately he was inconsistent.
It's very important to start well as it's always said that first impressions last forever.

phhchuong123
23/06/2017
VN
325
points

Islam Slimani had a great debut for Leicester City. How well will he do for Leicester? Will he score a lot of goals?

Can you remember any memorable debuts? Is it important to make a good start when you join a new club?

Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani are teammates for club and country. Is this helpful for club and national teams?

Do you understand all the words in the article? Was there any vocabulary that you would like some help with?


phhchuong123
23/06/2017 13:06
Vietnam
Manchester United
325

Islam Slimani had a great debut for Leicester City. How well will he do for Leicester? Will he score a lot of goals?

Can you remember any memorable debuts? Is it important to make a good start when you join a new club?

Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani are teammates for club and country. Is this helpful for club and national teams?

Do you understand all the words in the article? Was there any vocabulary that you would like some help with?

assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
03/02/2017
PS
3705
points

Yes a lot of them were helpful.


assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
03/02/2017 14:57
Palestinian Territory
Liverpool
3705

Yes a lot of them were helpful.

assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
03/02/2017
PS
3705
points

Yes it is,it will help them to apprehand each other so they can assist and score goals.


assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
03/02/2017 14:56
Palestinian Territory
Liverpool
3705

Yes it is,it will help them to apprehand each other so they can assist and score goals.

assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
03/02/2017
PS
3705
points

Yes,del piero scored on his debut in 1993 when he was playing for juventus,but they drew that match.


assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
03/02/2017 14:55
Palestinian Territory
Liverpool
3705

Yes,del piero scored on his debut in 1993 when he was playing for juventus,but they drew that match.

assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
03/02/2017
PS
3705
points

I think he will be a key for Liecester this season.


assemjuve's picture
assemjuve
03/02/2017 14:53
Palestinian Territory
Liverpool
3705

I think he will be a key for Liecester this season.

elghoul's picture
elghoul
23/09/2016
DZ
3988
points

I am happy to see him scoring twice in his debut and undoubtably he will score a lot of goals this season.
When a player has signed a contract with a great value he has to make a good start because he can make a bad stress around him from the fans or his new teamates.
Mahrez and Slimani are very complementary when playing which is an advantages for the squade they play for.


elghoul's picture
elghoul
23/09/2016 12:18
Algeria
Manchester City
3988

I am happy to see him scoring twice in his debut and undoubtably he will score a lot of goals this season.
When a player has signed a contract with a great value he has to make a good start because he can make a bad stress around him from the fans or his new teamates.
Mahrez and Slimani are very complementary when playing which is an advantages for the squade they play for.

kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
23/09/2016
GH
4768
points

Its extremely important to make a good start an 1st impression counts alot going forward.


kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
23/09/2016 11:09
Ghana
Manchester United
4768

Its extremely important to make a good start an 1st impression counts alot going forward.

kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
23/09/2016
GH
4768
points

Yes Marcus Rashford's debut


kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
23/09/2016 11:08
Ghana
Manchester United
4768

Yes Marcus Rashford's debut

kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
23/09/2016
GH
4768
points

He will do very well at Leicester especially that he has his country man in Mahrez with the team it will make him settled and at peace to deliver as expected.


kwesimanifest's picture
kwesimanifest
23/09/2016 11:06
Ghana
Manchester United
4768

He will do very well at Leicester especially that he has his country man in Mahrez with the team it will make him settled and at peace to deliver as expected.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
23/09/2016
UA
6278
points

The fact that Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani are teammates for a club and country is very helpful for Leicester and their national team. It goes without saying.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
23/09/2016 09:01
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

The fact that Riyad Mahrez and Islam Slimani are teammates for a club and country is very helpful for Leicester and their national team. It goes without saying.

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
23/09/2016
UA
6278
points

It's definitely important to make a good start when you join a new club or a national team. It makes a player feel confident and useful, makes a good impression on team-mates and supporters, in short, opens wide perspectives in future for him .


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
23/09/2016 08:59
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

It's definitely important to make a good start when you join a new club or a national team. It makes a player feel confident and useful, makes a good impression on team-mates and supporters, in short, opens wide perspectives in future for him .

Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
23/09/2016
UA
6278
points

Slimani could score quite a lot of goals, 15 -18 at least this season.


Alex_from_Ukraine's picture
Alex_from_Ukraine
23/09/2016 08:54
Ukraine
Liverpool
6278

Slimani could score quite a lot of goals, 15 -18 at least this season.

Leaderboard

Top Scorers
RankNameScore
1mobeckham6510
2Alex_from_Ukraine6278
3hsn5525
4wsanta5086
5kwesimanifest4768
6Liubomyr4408
7elghoul3988
8assemjuve3705
9aragorn19863557
10Gergő Nagy3396
Country ranking
RankNameScore
1Colombia71478
2Ukraine33300
3Spain28277
4Serbia27289
5Brazil23896
6Albania20578
7Vietnam19939
8Turkey19810
9Macedonia19074
10Bosnia and Herzegovina16333
Club ranking
RankNameScore
1Manchester United141846
2Liverpool110282
3Chelsea88559
4Arsenal85717
5Manchester City56951
6Tottenham Hotspur19169
7Newcastle United10457
8West Ham United7454
9AFC Bournemouth4454
10Crystal Palace4240

Level

3
Average: 3 (1 vote)

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Learn all about Leicester City striker, Islam Slimani, and learn some new vocabulary.