Riyad Mahrez

Early career

Although often overlooked by teams due to his slender build, Mahrez developed ball skills that brought him attention. He joined AAS Sarcelles in 2004. He had a two-month trial at Scottish club St Mirren, but left due to the cold weather. In 2009, Mahrez 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. He joined Le Havre in 2010, turning down offers from leading French teams Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille to join them, being enticed by Le Havre's youth system. He 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. He criticised Ligue 2 for what he saw as reliance on defence and teams aiming for a goalless draw in every match.

Leicester City

2013–14 season

While Mahrez 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. Mahrez had never heard of Leicester, whom he initially presumed to be a rugby club. On 11 January 2014, he was signed by Leicester City on a three-and-a-half-year contract for around £450,000. His friends and family were initially sceptical of a move to English football due to its physical nature, believing that his style of play would be more suited…

In November 2013, the French-born Mahrez expressed his desire to represent Algeria internationally. He was called up to the provisional Algeria squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. On 31 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. The Algerian media were critical of his inclusion and alleged that he had paid manager Vahid Halilhodžić for a place in the squad. Mahrez played in the opening group game against Belgium, then was dropped for the remainder of the tournament, in which Algeria reached the last 16. On 15 October 2014, Mahrez scored his first international goal, as well as setting up Islam Slimani in Algeria's 3–0, Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Malawi. In December 2014 he was announced as a member of Algeria's squad for the final tournament in Equatorial Guinea for the first time. His first meeting was against South Africa where he participated in the 60 minutes before the change in the second throw against Ghana substitute in the last 20 minutes where the Algerian team were defeated by a single goal. In their last game in the group stage against Senegal, Mahrez led the national team to the quarter-finals, scoring the first goal of a match ending 2–0. Then against Ivory Coast gave assists for El Arabi Hillel Soudani were not enough to exclude from the quarter-finals 3–1. then in the second Round…

A left-footed player, Mahrez usually plays as a right winger, and has been regarded as one of the best wingers in world football. This position allows him to cut inside and shoot on goal with his stronger foot, or make deliveries into the penalty area; however, he is a versatile player, who is capable of playing anywhere across the front line, in a central role as an attacking midfielder, as a winger on either flank, or even in a centre-forward role as a false 9. A quick, creative, and technically gifted player, his main traits are his trickery, balance, turn of pace, flair, and dribbling skills. Although capable of scoring goals, he is also an excellent assist provider, courtesy of his ability to create chances for his teammates. Despite his ability, however, his record from the penalty spot has been inconsistent throughout his career. In his youth, he was noted for his ball skills, but was often overlooked due to his slender build; when Quimper's youth manager Ronan Salaün and his assistant Mickaël Pellen first noticed Mahrez, they commented that he was talented, a good set-piece taker, and he possessed excellent technique and dribbling skills with both feet, but that he was very slim and was lacking in the tactical aspect of the game, as he played primarily by instinct, having grown up playing street football; as such, after signing him, Salaün advised Mahrez to use his intelligence to avoid challenges, as he believed that he was not strong enough to withstand physical…

Mahrez was born in Clichy, a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, to an Algerian father and a Moroccan mother of Algerian and Moroccan descent. His father Ahmed was from Beni Snous, Tlemcen Province. Growing up, Mahrez would regularly spend his holidays in Algeria. His childhood friends included fellow footballers, such as Wissam Ben Yedder. Mahrez's father had played football in Algeria. When Mahrez was fifteen, his father died of a heart attack. He reflected that "I don't know if I started to be more serious but after the death of my dad things started to go for me. Maybe in my head, I wanted it more".