Biography
Who is Riyad Mahrez?
Early life and beginnings
Riyad Mahrez was born on February 21, 1991, in Clichy, a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. His father was from Algeria and his mother was of Algerian and Moroccan descent. Growing up, he spent his holidays in Algeria. His father had also played football in Algeria. When Riyad was fifteen years old, his father died of a heart attack. After this loss, he became more serious about pursuing a football career.
As a youth, Riyad joined AAS Sarcelles in 2004. He had a two-month trial at Scottish club St Mirren but left due to the cold weather. Teams often overlooked him because of his slender build, but he developed strong ball skills that eventually brought him attention from scouts.
Early club career in France
In 2009, Riyad joined CFA side Quimper from AAS Sarcelles. He made 22 appearances and scored 2 goals in his first season with the club, living with Mathias Pogba during that time. He played for Quimper for only one season before moving to Le Havre.
Riyad turned down offers from Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille to join Le Havre because he was enticed by their youth system. He initially played for their reserve team before joining the first team in French Ligue 2. He made 60 appearances and scored 6 goals for the Le Havre first team until leaving the club in January 2014.
Success with Leicester City
In January 2014, Riyad signed for English Championship side Leicester City for around £450,000 on a three-and-a-half-year contract. Scouts had originally been monitoring a teammate but were impressed by Riyad instead. He made his debut on January 25, 2014, as a substitute in a win against Middlesbrough. He helped Leicester win the Championship and earn promotion to the Premier League at the end of his first season.
During the 2015-16 season, Riyad played a key role as Leicester City won the Premier League title. He scored a hat-trick against Swansea City in December 2015, becoming the first Algerian player to score a Premier League hat-trick. That season, he was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year and won the Algerian Footballer of the Year award, becoming the first African to earn the PFA accolade.
Manchester City and later career
On July 10, 2018, Manchester City signed Riyad on a five-year contract for a transfer fee of £60 million, making him the most expensive African footballer at the time. In his first season with Manchester City, he won the Premier League, FA Cup, and EFL Cup. He later won additional league titles, FA Cups, EFL Cups, and a UEFA Champions League title during the 2022-23 season as part of a continental treble.
In July 2023, Riyad left Manchester City to join Saudi side Al-Ahli. He also represented the Algeria men's national football team internationally, making his debut in 2014 and winning the Africa Cup of Nations tournament in 2019. He received the CAF African Footballer of the Year award in 2016 and holds the National Order of Merit in Algeria.
Birthday and age
Riyad Mahrez was born on February 21, 1991, which makes Riyad 35 years old today. That birthday falls under the Pisces sign. Riyad shares the date with 32 other famous people.
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