15 fun facts about Riyad Mahrez

Mahrez has represented Algeria at the international level. He made his debut for the Algerian national team in 2014 and has since become a key figure. Mahrez played a crucial role in helping Algeria win the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. His performances throughout the tournament showcased his exceptional skills and ability to influence games on the big stage.

Mahrez possesses exceptional technical abilities, including close ball control, dribbling skills, and excellent footwork. He is known for his agility and ability to beat opponents in one-on-one situations, often leaving defenders stranded with his quick changes of direction. Mahrez is also renowned for his precise passing, vision, and ability to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. Additionally, he possesses a deadly left foot and is adept at scoring from distance and delivering accurate crosses.

Mahrez is a highly talented footballer who has consistently delivered exceptional performances for both club and country. His technical skills, creativity, and ability to score crucial goals have made him a key player for Manchester City and Algeria. Mahrez’s achievements, including Premier League titles and an Africa Cup of Nations triumph, highlight his impact on the game. With his continued development and contributions, Mahrez remains an important figure in the world of football.

Here are 15 fun facts about Riyad Mahrez you need to know.

• Football is in his blood

  Football runs in the Manchester City winger’s family. His father used to play football for small teams in Algeria and France when Mahrez was a child.

  He has said that it was his father’s death when he was 15 years old due to a heart attack, which made the 2019 AFCON winner more focused on becoming a footballer. In an interview with The Guardian, Mahrez mentioned that his father always wanted him to be a footballer and despite all the hurdles he has faced, he wanted to fulfill his dad’s dreams.

  He would later dedicate the Stade Riyad Mahrez stadium in his hometown of Sarcelles to his father, who lived near the pitch.

• Was overlooked because of his build

  It wasn’t an easy start for Mahrez early on in his career. Many teams did not take him seriously and passed on signing him due to his slender physical build. The winger has stated that many coaches told him he would never become a footballer and that he would be easily dominated by others.

  Mohamed Coulibaly, the director of Sarcelles FC stated that it was a tough journey for Mahrez from the beginning, but he never gave up and that apart from his skill, he also has great character and spirit which has made him who he is.

• Getty Images

  Rejected PSG

  Before he joined Le Havre’s youth academy, Mahrez had the opportunity to join Ligue 1 champions PSG in 2010 but rejected the opportunity to play for them, along with declining an offer from Marseille as well.

  Eleven years down the line the Algerian forward would dash PSG’s hopes of reaching the Champions League final in 2021, as he scored a brace against them for Manchester City in the second-leg clash of the semi-final tie.

• Supported Marseille as a kid

  It’s a surprise that Mahrez decided to reject Marseille’s offer to sign him to their academy, considering they were his favourite side growing up.

  The winger has stated that he loved the club as a child and was a fan of each of their players mentioning the likes of Chelsea legend Didier Drogba and former Newcastle winger Hatem Ben Arfa, who both played for Marseille early in their careers.

  Friends with Ben Yedder and Pogba’s brother

  Mahrez is childhood friends with AS Monaco and France striker Wissam Ben Yedder, with both players growing up together in the streets of Sarcelles, France. Ben Yedder has spoken about playing football with Mahrez in different estates, and how his mother would yell for them to stop and come back home.

  The Manchester City winger would befriend Juventus star Paul Pogba’s brother Mathias Pogba when the two were playing for CFA side Quimper. Mathias and Mahrez were roommates during this time, and the former has talked about how they didn’t get to the best of starts due to the Algerian’s untidiness, however, they eventually went on to become friends.

• Getty

  Family were apprehensive of Leicester City move

  When Mahrez was initially joining Leicester City in 2014, his friends and family weren’t too keen on the future Premier League champion making that move.

  They weren’t sure if Mahrez’s playstyle suited the Premier League and thought he would be a better fit in Spain. The Algerian forward himself was not aware of Leicester City and thought they were a rugby club at first.

  Two years later, when Mahrez lifted the Premier League trophy with them, all doubts about the move to Leicester City must have subsided within his family.

• (C)Getty Images

  Looked up to Zidane

  Like most children who wanted to become footballers when they were older in France, Mahrez looked up to French legend Zinedine Zidane and has tried to model his own playstyle off the 1998 World Cup winner.

  According to the Manchester City winger, Zidane was the ultimate player and he always wanted to be him. Perhaps it’s not so surprising then that one of Mahrez’s youth coaches always thought he would be very close to reaching the Real Madrid legend’s level.

  First Algerian to score a PL hattrick

  En route to Leicester City’s iconic Premier League title success, Mahrez was the star of the show in their 3-0 victory over Swansea City, scoring all three goals against them in a 3-0 away win.

  This performance made Mahrez the first Algerian player to score a hat-trick in the Premier League, thus cementing his legacy in the competition’s history books.

• Getty Images

  His national side teammates thought Leicester would relegate

  While Leicester City supporters were themselves sceptical of avoiding relegation in 2014-15, Mahrez was still confident they would avoid dropping down to the Championship. However, he had to also ward off scepticism from his Algerian teammates who scoffed at his confidence.

  Mahrez has talked about how during the March international break that season, when having lunch with his national side teammates told him there was no chance Leicester City survive. In particular, he remembered former Getafe player Mehdi Lacen saying that with just three wins at that moment in time and nine games remaining, their fate was sealed.

  However, the Manchester City winger didn’t budge, and fast forward to the end of the season, Leicester City had won seven of their final nine games to secure Premier League football for the next season, where their fairy tale continued.

  Was nicknamed the “little rooster’

  Due to his unique hairstyle, which saw his hair have a crest on it, Mahrez was nicknamed Coquelet meaning the “little rooster” by his former Quimper teammate Romain Ouehi, a nickname which soon caught on and was used by others at the club.

  While he no longer sports the hairstyle anymore, to be fair to the Manchester City winger, the hairstyle he sported back then was trendy among the youth.

  First African to win PFA Players’ Player of the Year

  Due to his crucial contribution to Leicester City’s amazing title success in 2015-16, Mahrez was voted the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in 2016, in the process becoming the first African to win the award since its inception in 1974.

  Additionally, the former Leicester City winger was selected in the PFA Team of the Year that season, along with former teammates Wes Morgan, N’Golo Kante, and Jamie Vardy.

  Arsene Wenger wanted to sign him

  In 2017, Mahrez no longer wanted to be with Leicester City and was vocal about his desire to move to a new club. Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was keen on signing the Algerian, however, a move never materialised.

  Next summer, Mahrez would join Arsenal’s rivals Manchester City, where he has improved his own ability and trophy list across five seasons.

• Getty Images

  Silva is his personal coffee barista

  Mahrez has a pre-match ritual of drinking a cup of coffee before any game. Thankfully, he doesn’t need to put in any effort to make a cup for himself, as he has teammate Bernardo Silva be his personal barista.

  The Algerian winger has stated how Silva diligently gets him his coffee 20-30 minutes before a match because he is scared of Mahrez, who threatened he would throw the Portuguese midfielder into the ice bath if he doesn’t complete the task.

  Shares a record with Kolo Toure

  During his debut season with Manchester City in 2018-19, Mahrez once again won the Premier League title, which also made him the second African player to win the league with two different clubs after Ivory Coast legend Kolo Toure.

  Toure was part of the famous Arsenal ‘Invincible’ team who won the league without losing a single game during the 2003-04 season. In 2011-12, with Manchester City, the Ivory Coast defender won his second league title, and City’s first in 44 years.

  Fifth African to score 20 goals in Champions League

  Mahrez was the sole goalscorer for in Manchester City’s 1-1 draw with RB Leipzig in the first leg of their Round of 16 clash in 2023. This goal meant he was the fifth African player to cross the 20-goal margin in the competition.

  By achieving this feat, he joined the elite group of Mohamed Salah, Didier Drogba, Samuel Eto, and Sadio Mane. He will hope to become a Champions League winner like the other four players soon when Manchester City face Inter Milan in the 2023 UCL final.

  Source : https://www.goal.com/en-sa/lists/15-fun-facts-about-riyad-mahrez/blt93e5f0e225db5907#csa69a13caf758fd5a