Riyad Mahrez
Winger · Leicester City · Algeria
About Riyad Mahrez
Riyad Mahrez was the creative genius behind Leicester City's 5000-1 Premier League miracle in 2016, then became a serial winner at Manchester City and, most recently, Saudi Arabia. Now 35, he's without a club after Al-Ahli released him in July 2026 — a year before his deal was due to expire — and he retired from Algeria duty the previous month, ending a 12-year international career with 40 goals, second only to Islam Slimani in the country's history.
Riyad Mahrez's story
The £400,000 Bargain Nobody Wanted
Rejected by several French academies as a teenager for being too small and slow, Mahrez turned down Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille to join Le Havre's academy instead, spending a season in France's fifth tier on loan at Quimper. Leicester's chief scout had travelled to watch a different Le Havre player when Mahrez caught his eye — the club signed him for just £400,000 in January 2014.
Leicester's Miracle Worker
Initially a fringe option under Nigel Pearson, a change of manager and position turned Mahrez into one of the league's most feared wide players under Claudio Ranieri. He was the creative heartbeat of Leicester City's astonishing 5000-1 Premier League title win in 2015-16, forming a devastating attacking trio with Jamie Vardy and N'Golo Kanté.
Serial Winner at Manchester City, Then Saudi Arabia
A £60m move to Manchester City in 2018 brought four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three League Cups and the 2023 Champions League as part of Pep Guardiola's treble-winning side. He left for Saudi Arabia's Al-Ahli in 2023, adding back-to-back AFC Champions League Elite titles and a Saudi Super Cup to his collection.
A Shock Release, and Saudi Arabia Calling Again
Mahrez retired from international football in June 2026 after Algeria's World Cup exit, bowing out as captain having led the country to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations title. Weeks later, Al-Ahli tore up his contract more than a year early; Al-Qadsiah have since opened talks over a free transfer.
Faith and a Life Across Three Countries
A practising Muslim, Mahrez completed the Umrah pilgrimage to Mecca in June 2017 during his Leicester years. His family later moved from Manchester to Jeddah in 2023 when he joined Al-Ahli — the base from which his next transfer was being decided in 2026.
Did you know?
- 🇩🇿 Born in Clichy and raised in nearby Sarcelles, to an Algerian father and a Moroccan mother.
- 🐓 Team-mates at fifth-tier Quimper nicknamed him 'Coquelet' — the Little Rooster — because of the crest in his hair; the name stuck long after he left the club.
- 👨👩👧👦 Married Rita Johal in 2015 and has two daughters, Inaya and Ayla, from that marriage, which later ended in divorce. He's since married English model Taylor Ward, with whom he has daughter Mila (born 2022) and a second child due in 2026.
- 😅 When Leicester came calling in January 2014, Mahrez had never heard of the club — he assumed they meant Leicester Tigers, the rugby team.
- 🏆 The 2015-16 season made him the first African player to win the PFA Players' Player of the Year award; he added the BBC and CAF African Footballer of the Year titles the same year.
- 📊 He made 122 appearances for Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, scoring 37 goals and providing 46 assists — form good enough to keep speculation about his future at bay until his release in July 2026.
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