Under the lights of France’s third tier, Fahd El Khoumisti has made a habit of finding the one space defenders leave behind. Caen’s 33-year-old striker now owns the division’s all-time scoring record, and he arrives for Thursday’s Normandy meeting with Rouen still chasing the next number.
Key takeaways
- El Khoumisti has scored 93 goals in France’s third division, the highest total in the competition’s history.
- He passed former Sète forward Christophe Rouve by scoring twice in Caen’s 2-0 win over Bourg-en-Bresse on 5 September.
- The record-breaking double took him from 90 to 92 goals, ahead of Rouve’s previous mark of 91.
- Caen face Rouen on Thursday at 20:45 in a Normandy derby.
- Former coaches describe the striker as a clinical finisher who also works for the collective.
A record built on movement rather than power
Whether the third tier has carried the National or Ligue 3 name, no player has scored more often at this level than El Khoumisti. His 93rd goal has pushed Rouve further into the distance, with the Caen forward having already turned the record into a moving target.
His former Le Puy coach Roland Vieira believes there is no reason for that run to slow. He described El Khoumisti as a player with sharp finishing, an instinct for the penalty area and an obsession with scoring that does not come at the expense of his team-mates.
“He knows how to finish, loves scoring and is always positioned well,” Vieira said. “He has a huge instinct for goals. As long as he can play and has a team working for him, he will score. He is fixated on it, but he does not show that to the other players because he can also put himself at the team’s disposal.”
El Khoumisti’s route to goal is less about explosive pace or physical dominance than timing. Hervé Della Maggiore, who coached him at Orléans across the past two seasons as he scored 41 times, said the forward thrives in possession-based sides operating high up the pitch.
He is not a striker who lives on balls played into open space, Della Maggiore explained. Instead, he likes to combine with team-mates, drift away from defenders’ attention and then appear in the right area when the delivery comes.
“Fahd enjoys playing with others despite scoring so many goals,” Della Maggiore said. “He is not selfish at all. His view is that if he creates a goal for a team-mate, another player will repay him during that match or another one.”
Choosing the right football around him
The scorer’s recent career has also taught him to judge projects carefully. Della Maggiore pointed to difficult spells when El Khoumisti was asked to play in systems that did not suit his qualities, including after his 2023 move from Concarneau to Le Mans.
His first spell with Orléans in 2020-21 was also less productive for similar reasons. That experience has made him more attentive to a coach’s methods and the intended style of play before accepting a move. Before returning to Orléans, he had made detailed enquiries about the project.
Off the pitch, El Khoumisti remains notably reserved. He gives little away during the season, wary of losing focus after interviews. But the message of his career is uncomplicated: he prefers to let the goals speak, and the next chance to do so comes against Rouen on Thursday night.
