Riyad Karim Mahrez was born on the 21st of February 1991, and he is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Manchester City and captains the Algeria national team.
Club career
Early career
Although Riyad Karim Mahrez was often overlooked by teams due to his slender build, Mahrez developed ball skills that brought him attention. Report has it that he joined AAS Sarcelles in 2004, where he had a two-month trial at Scottish club St Mirren, but left due to the cold weather.
Then in 2009, he joined CFA side Quimper from AAS Sarcelles, making 22 appearances and scoring 2 goals in his first season with the club. While playing for Quimper he lived with Mathias Pogba
The young talent joined Le Havre in 2010, turning down offers from leading French teams Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille to join them, being enticed by their youth system. Mahrez initially played for their reserve team, Le Havre II, before going on to play 60 times and score 6 goals for the first team in the French Ligue 2 from 2011 until leaving in January 2014. Riyad Mahrez however criticised Ligue 2 for what he saw as a reliance on defence and teams aiming for a goalless draw in every match.
Leicester City
Mahrez playing for Leicester in 2014
While the Algerian star was playing for Le Havre, English Championship club Leicester City’s scout Steve Walsh was monitoring teammate Ryan Mendes, but was instead impressed by Mahrez. He had never heard of Leicester, whom he initially presumed to be a rugby club. He was signed by Leicester City on a three-and-a-half-year contract for around £450,000 on the 11th of January 2014. At the initial stage, his friends and family were skeptical of a move to English football due to its physical nature, believing that his style of play would be more suited to Spain.
That season, Leicester ended the season as winners of the Championship, returning to the Premier League for the first time in ten years.
Mahrez was one of four Leicester players named in the PFA Team of the Year in April 2016, and later that month he won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award. He was the first African to earn the accolade. When Leicester finished the season as champions, Mahrez became the first Algerian to win a Premier League medal.
2016–17 season
Unarguably, the Algerian international was one of four Leicester players named in the PFA Team of the Year in April 2016, and later that month he won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award. Riyad Marez was the first African to earn the accolade. The season when Leicester finished the season as champions, Mahrez became the first Algerian to win a Premier League medal.
The playmaker however signed a new four-year contract with Leicester in August 2016. That season, he was nominated for the Ballon d’Or in October 2016, finishing seventh. Again, he won the BBC African Footballer of the Year award in December 2016. Nevertheless, Mahrez did not offer a big season especially with the decline in the level of Leicester, but helped the team’s arrival in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time, scoring four goals and two assists. Mahrez played his 100th Premier League game for Leicester, against Watford, scoring in the process on the 6th of May.
Manchester City
2018–19 season
Manchester City, on the 10th of July 2018, confirmed the signing of Mahrez on a five-year contract. The transfer fee of £60m made Mahrez the most expensive African footballer, and also Manchester City’s most expensive signing and a record transfer fee received by Leicester City. Upon his arrival, he stated he wanted to win the Champions League with the club. He made his debut as a starter on 5 August, as City defeated Chelsea 2–0 to win the 2018 FA Community Shield at Wembley Stadium. Coming on as a substitute in the 61st minute Mahrez scored a brace for the Citizens against Cardiff City on the 22nd of September 2018, The first goal was his first with Manchester City.
2020–21 season
Riyad Mahrez scored his first hat-trick for City in a 5–0 home league win over Burnley on the 28th of November 2020. On 4 May 2021, Mahrez scored both goals in a 2–0 home win over Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals, and by scoring via a direct free kick in a 2–1 away win a week earlier, he led City through to the first European Cup final in the club’s history.
International career
The French-born Mahrez expressed his desire to represent Algeria internationally in November 2013. Mahrez was called up to the provisional Algeria squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. And on the 31st of May 2014, Mahrez made his international debut for the Desert Foxes as a starter in a pre-World Cup friendly match against Armenia, and he was subsequently called up to the full squad for the tournament on 2 June. However, it was brought to our notice that the Algerian media were critical of his inclusion and alleged that he had paid manager Vahid Halilhodžić for a place in the squad. He played in the opening group game against Belgium, then was dropped for the remainder of the tournament, in which Algeria reached the last 16
With Algeria’s chances of reaching the 2018 FIFA World Cup already ended in October 2017, Mahrez and his (at the time) Leicester teammate Islam Slimani were dropped from the national team, with coach Lucas Alcaraz selecting several new players. And in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier Mahrez scored a brace in a 4–1 away victory against Togo on the 18th of November 2018, his first goal with the national team since 2017 Africa Cup of Nations to lead Algeria to qualify for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Again, Riyad Mahrez was named to Algeria’s 23-man squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in May 2019. By the decision of coach Djamel Belmadi, he was chosen to be captain of Algeria at the Africa Cup of Nations. The Manchester City star scored a 90+5 minute goal in a 2–1 win against Nigeria in the semi-finals of the competition. Later on, Algeria managed to win the tournament which was their first since 1990.
Riyad Mahrez Net Worth
As of 2022, Riyad Mahrez has an estimated net worth of $21 million. He earns from his football career and endorsement deals.
Riyad Mahrez Salary
On July 10th, 2018 the winger signed a contract with Manchester City that nets him a whopping salary of 11 Million Euro (9.6 Million Pound) per year. We have crunched the numbers, this means he earns €30,055 (£26,405) per day and €1,252 (£1,100) per hour!
Per year €11,000,000 £9,565,217
Per month €916,667 £ 797,101
Per week €211,538 £183,946
Per day €30,137 £26,206
Per hour €1,255 £1,091
Per minute €21 £18
Honours
Leicester City
Premier League: 2015–16
Football League Championship: 2013–14
Manchester City
Premier League: 2018–19, 2020–21, 2021–22
FA Cup: 2018–19
EFL Cup: 2018–19, 2019–20, 2020–21
FA Community Shield: 2018
UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2020–21
Algeria
Africa Cup of Nations: 2019
Individual
CAF African Footballer of the Year: 2016
BBC African Footballer of the Year: 2016
Algerian Footballer of the Year: 2015, 2016
PFA Team of the Year: 2015–16 Premier League
PFA Players’ Player of the Year: 2015–16
PFA Fans’ Player of the Year: 2015–16
Leicester City Player of the Year: 2015–16
El Heddaf Arab Footballer of the Year: 2016
Lion d’Or African Footballer of the Year: 2016
CAF Team of the Year: 2016, 2018, 2019
CAF Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2019
African Goal of the Year: 2019
IFFHS CAF Men Team of The Year: 2020
IFFHS CAF Men’s Team of the Decade 2011–2020
Manchester City Player of the Month: October 2018, September 2019, December 2019, February 2021, February 2022
PFA Fans’ Player of the Month: March 2021
Alan Hardaker Trophy: 2021
IFFHS CAF World’s Best Playmaker: 2021