Leicester City's PFA Player of the Year during his miraculous 5000-1 title win and Manchester City's Champions League winner.
Riyad Mahrez was born in Sarcelles, France in 1991 to Algerian parents and began at Le Havre (2009–2014) before Leicester City spotted him as an unknown. His role in Leicester's miraculous 2015–16 Premier League title — scoring 17 goals and providing 11 assists — earned him the PFA Players' Player of the Year award. Manchester City paid £60 million in 2018 and he won 3 more Premier League titles and the Champions League (2023), scoring 83 goals in 236 appearances. He moved to Al Ahli in 2023. He earned 98 Algeria caps scoring 29 goals and won the Africa Cup of Nations in 2019. His top speed of 33.4 km/h and 10.3 km per game reflect a winger who relies on deception rather than constant running. He scored 222 career goals and provided 183 assists in 639 appearances. His ability to beat defenders one-on-one from a standing start — shifting weight, dropping his shoulder and accelerating — was the defining quality of his game. He scored in the Champions League final in 2023.
Premier League 2016 (Leicester – Player of Season), 2019, 2021, 2022 (City)
Career Honours
- Premier League 2016 (Leicester – Player of Season), 2019, 2021, 2022 (City)
- FA Cup 2019
- Champions League 2023 (Manchester City)
- Africa Cup of Nations 2019 (Algeria)
- PFA Players' Player of Year 2016