Kamel Ghilas

Early years

Born in Marseille, France, 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

Ghilas signed for Vitória S.C. from Portugal in the summer of 2006, penning a two-year contract. 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. Ghilas made his debut in the competition on 19 August 2007, starting in a 1–1 home draw against Vitória de Setúbal. 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.

Celta

On 12 July 2008, RC Celta de Vigo announced the signing of Ghilas from Vitória, with the player penning a three-year contract worth €300,000 a year. 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. On 28 July 2009, a…

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.

Club

International

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