Riyad Mahrez: Algeria Icon and Club Career Profile

Riyad Mahrez is an Algerian winger whose career connects Leicester City’s 2015/16 Premier League title, Manchester City’s 2022/23 Treble, Algeria’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations victory and two AFC Champions League Elite titles with Al Ahli. He captained Algeria at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scored twice against Austria and retired from international football after the Round of 32 defeat by Switzerland.

His current status needs a dated explanation. Al Ahli officially announced his departure on 4 July 2026 after three seasons. No subsequent club announcement had been published by the verification date of 26 July 2026, so this profile describes him as between clubs rather than continuing to list Al Ahli as his current team. It does not treat transfer reports as completed moves.

Riyad Mahrez profile at a glance

Full name	Riyad Karim Mahrez
Date of birth	21 February 1991
Birthplace	Sarcelles, France
Height	1.79 m
Position	Right winger
Preferred foot	Left
Current club status	Between clubs after leaving Al Ahli on 4 July 2026
Al Ahli record	122 appearances, 37 goals and 46 assists
Algeria checkpoint	119 appearances and 40 goals in FIFA’s squad list updated after the tournament
International status	Retired after Algeria’s final 2026 World Cup match
World Cup record	Five appearances across 2014 and 2026, two goals

Current status after Al Ahli and Algeria

Two major chapters closed within days. Mahrez described the 2-0 defeat by Switzerland on 2 July as his last match for Algeria. The Asian Football Confederation then reported him as a former Algeria international when confirming Al Ahli’s announcement of his departure.

Al Ahli’s own farewell gives the most reliable end-of-spell club record: 122 appearances, 37 goals and 46 assists across three seasons. It also credits him with the 2024/25 and 2025/26 AFC Champions League Elite titles and the 2025 Saudi Super Cup. Those final club figures replace the partial totals and contract speculation that appeared in the old version of this page.

Why this profile does not name a new club

Leaving a club and joining another are separate events. Al Ahli and the AFC verify the departure, but neither identifies his next team. A rumour, negotiation or reported interest cannot establish a current-club fact. The status above will change only when Mahrez or a club publishes a completed agreement.

From Sarcelles to professional football

Mahrez grew up in Sarcelles, north of Paris, and played for local club AAS Sarcelles. FIFA’s career profile traces his next steps through Quimper and Le Havre. The route was unusual for a player who later won the biggest competitions in England, Europe, Africa and Asia because he was not moving through a famous academy system.

Quimper and Le Havre

Quimper offered senior football in France’s lower divisions. Le Havre then gave him a professional pathway, first below the senior side and then in Ligue 2. He signed his first professional contract in 2011. The period demanded close control in crowded spaces and the patience to create an opening without the athletic advantages of a powerful winger.

Leicester City and the move to England

Mahrez joined Leicester City in January 2014 while the club was in the Championship. He helped Leicester earn promotion that season and then adapted to the Premier League. The official Premier League record for his Leicester years is 139 appearances, 39 goals and 27 assists.

Those totals do not include his Championship matches, so they should not be presented as a complete Leicester all-competition record. They do show how productive he became at the highest domestic level before his move to Manchester City in 2018.

The 2015/16 title season

Mahrez was one of the central players in Leicester’s 2015/16 championship. FIFA’s profile records 17 goals and ten assists in 37 matches during the title campaign. The Premier League’s own current database credits 11 assists, a small methodological difference between official summaries. The stable point is his 17-goal contribution and decisive creative role in a team that began the season far outside the expected title contenders.

Individual recognition

He won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award for 2015/16, becoming the first African winner of that prize. Later in 2016 he was named CAF African Player of the Year. Both awards reflected more than one productive month: he repeatedly decided league matches with first touches, disguised passes and left-footed finishes from the right.

Manchester City career

Manchester City signed Mahrez from Leicester in July 2018. City’s official departure announcement records 236 appearances, 78 goals and 59 assists over five seasons. He scored at least ten goals in every campaign for the club and reached a career-best 24 in all competitions in 2021/22.

Competing for a place under Pep Guardiola

City’s squad demanded constant positional discipline. Mahrez often had to hold the right touchline before receiving, then decide whether to attack the full-back, combine with an overlapping teammate or move inside. His ability to control difficult diagonal passes allowed City to switch play without losing tempo.

Rotation did not reduce his importance. He made 46 Champions League appearances for City and scored 16 times in the competition. In the 2023 FA Cup semi-final, he scored a hat-trick against Sheffield United and became the first Manchester City player to score three at Wembley.

Eleven major Manchester City trophies

Manchester City credits Mahrez with 11 major trophies: four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three League Cups, two Community Shields and the UEFA Champions League. His last season ended with the 2022/23 Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League.

Premier League legacy

The Premier League’s official database lists 284 appearances, 82 goals and 61 assists across Leicester and Manchester City. He won five league titles in total, one with Leicester and four with City. The combination places him among the competition’s most successful and productive African players.

Creative output from the right

Mahrez’s 61 Premier League assists came from several patterns. He could slip a pass inside a full-back, cut the ball back after reaching the penalty area or cross early before the defence settled. City reported that he left England with the most Premier League assists by an African player at that time.

Al Ahli career and Asian success

Mahrez joined Al Ahli in summer 2023. FIFA noted that he led the Saudi Pro League with 13 assists in his first season. In Asia, he provided eight assists during the 2024/25 AFC Champions League Elite campaign and scored important goals, including both goals in the home leg of Al Ahli’s Round of 16 win over Al Rayyan.

Back-to-back continental titles

Al Ahli won the AFC Champions League Elite in both 2024/25 and 2025/26. The club’s farewell announcement also lists the 2025 Saudi Super Cup. Mahrez therefore left after winning continental club titles in Europe with Manchester City and Asia with Al Ahli.

The final Al Ahli numbers, 122 appearances, 37 goals and 46 assists, show that he remained both scorer and provider. They are all-competition figures published after his departure, which makes them more useful than combining partial league and continental snapshots.

Playing style

Mahrez is most closely associated with the right wing. He receives on his left foot, slows the defender and uses small touches to change the angle. The pause is part of the action: it makes a full-back decide whether to step forward, protect the inside lane or allow the cross.

First touch and close control

His first touch can turn a long diagonal pass into an attacking situation. Instead of merely stopping the ball, he cushions it into the space needed for the next movement. That skill suited Leicester’s transitions and City’s possession play for different reasons.

Left-footed threat

Defenders know he wants to move inside, but the threat remains difficult to stop because he can delay the cut, shoot early or pass through the gap created by the defender’s body position. The Premier League database attributes 64 of his 82 league goals to his left foot, along with three direct free kicks and 13 penalties.

Work without the ball

Guardiola’s teams also required Mahrez to protect the passing lane into midfield and press at the correct moment. He was not selected only for isolated dribbles. His reliability inside a structured press helped him play across five trophy-heavy City seasons.

Algeria debut and the 2014 World Cup

Mahrez made his senior Algeria debut shortly before the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He started the group opener against Belgium, his only appearance at that tournament. Algeria reached the Round of 16, where eventual champion Germany won 2-1 after extra time.

FIFA’s 2026 preview noted that Mahrez was an unused substitute in Algeria’s other three 2014 matches. That detail prevents a squad listing from being mistaken for four tournament appearances.

Leading Algeria to the 2019 AFCON title

Mahrez became Algeria’s captain and helped lead the team to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations title. His stoppage-time free kick against Nigeria in the semi-final is one of the defining moments of the campaign. Algeria then beat Senegal 1-0 in the final.

Captaincy and creative responsibility

The captain’s role placed him at the centre of set pieces, attacking decisions and public expectations. CAF marked his 100th cap by highlighting the 2019 triumph and his long service. He eventually took that experience into Algeria’s successful 2026 qualifying campaign.

Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup

Algeria won eight of ten matches in African qualifying. Mohamed Amoura supplied ten goals, while Mahrez scored and assisted in the 3-0 victory over Somalia that secured qualification. It ended Algeria’s absence from the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

For the wider team context, see the Algeria team guide, the 2026 Algeria squad report and the profile of fellow forward Mohamed Amoura.

Riyad Mahrez at the 2026 World Cup

Mahrez played in Algeria’s four matches in 2026. The team lost 3-0 to Argentina, recovered to beat Jordan 2-1 and drew 3-3 with Austria to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams. Switzerland then won the Round of 32 match 2-0.

Argentina and Jordan

Argentina opened Group J with a Lionel Messi hat-trick. Mahrez then captained Algeria in the comeback against Jordan and left the field in the 76th minute after Algeria had equalised. Readers can review the Argentina versus Algeria and Jordan versus Algeria match pages for the wider sequence.

Two goals and an assist against Austria

The Austria match was his defining World Cup performance. Mahrez created Algeria’s first goal for Rafik Belghali, scored from Houssem Aouar’s cross in the 60th minute and struck again in the third minute of stoppage time. Austria equalised moments later, but both teams advanced.

FIFA identified the two finishes as Mahrez’s 39th and 40th Algeria goals and named him Superior Player of the Match. They were his first World Cup goals and made him one of Algeria’s joint leading scorers in the competition. FWCTimes also covered the Austria versus Algeria six-goal match.

Switzerland and international retirement

Switzerland scored early in each half to end Algeria’s tournament. After the match, Mahrez told FIFA that it was his final appearance for Algeria. The Switzerland versus Algeria page has the match context.

FIFA’s squad list updated after the tournament records 119 appearances and 40 goals. Some contemporary reports count one additional cap, so this page states the exact FIFA checkpoint rather than merging competing totals. The stable facts are his 40 international goals, retirement after Switzerland and five career World Cup appearances.

Major honours and individual awards

Leicester City: Championship 2013/14; Premier League 2015/16.
Manchester City: four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three League Cups, two Community Shields and the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League.
Al Ahli: AFC Champions League Elite 2024/25 and 2025/26; Saudi Super Cup 2025.
Algeria: Africa Cup of Nations 2019.
Individual: PFA Players’ Player of the Year 2015/16; CAF African Player of the Year 2016.

How to interpret Mahrez’s career statistics

Different sources use different competition scopes. Leicester’s 139 appearances, 39 goals and 27 assists are Premier League figures. Manchester City’s 236 appearances, 78 goals and 59 assists cover all competitions in the club’s departure announcement. Al Ahli’s 122 appearances, 37 goals and 46 assists are also all-competition totals.

Putting those rows into one table without labels would create a false comparison. This profile therefore keeps each figure beside its source and scope. The same rule applies to his international total, which is tied to FIFA’s dated tournament list.

Frequently asked questions

Which club does Riyad Mahrez play for now?

Al Ahli announced his departure on 4 July 2026. As of 26 July, there was no official announcement confirming his next club, so he is listed here as between clubs.

Did Mahrez retire from Algeria?

Yes. He said the World Cup Round of 32 match against Switzerland was his last appearance for Algeria, and the AFC subsequently described him as a former Algeria international.

How many goals did Mahrez score at the World Cup?

He scored two World Cup goals, both against Austria in 2026. He also assisted Algeria’s first goal in that 3-3 draw.

How many Premier League titles did he win?

Mahrez won five: one with Leicester City and four with Manchester City.

What was his final Al Ahli record?

Al Ahli credits him with 122 appearances, 37 goals and 46 assists across three seasons.

What position does Riyad Mahrez play?

He is a right winger who generally receives on the right and moves inside onto his left foot. He can also operate as a wider midfielder in a structured possession system.

Sources and verification date

This profile was checked on 26 July 2026. A new club should be added only after an official signing announcement.