On 11 January 2014, Le Havre sold a winger with little top-flight experience to Leicester City, then in the English second tier, for a reported fee of around £450,000. That move shaped the career of Riyad Karim Mahrez, who was born on 21 February 1991 in the Paris region and grew up in Sarcelles. A left-footed right winger, he won the Premier League with both Leicester and Manchester City, along with the UEFA Champions League, two Asian titles with Al-Ahli and the Africa Cup of Nations with Algeria, the national team he played for from 2014 to 2026.
Sarcelles, Quimper and Le Havre
Mahrez learned the game at AAS Sarcelles, the club in the town north of Paris where he grew up. He spent five years in its youth ranks, from 2004 to 2009, and never joined a professional academy. His first senior season was 2009-10 at Quimper, in the French fourth tier, where he played 27 league matches and scored once. In 2010 he moved to Le Havre and started with the reserves, making 60 appearances and scoring 24 goals over three seasons. He broke into the first team in 2011 and played 60 Ligue 2 matches, scoring six goals, before leaving for England halfway through the 2013-14 season.
Mahrez made his Leicester debut on 25 January 2014, coming off the bench against Middlesbrough. That season the club won the Championship, and promotion was sealed in April 2014, ending ten years outside the Premier League. In 2015-16, with Claudio Ranieri as manager, Leicester won the Premier League. Mahrez was one of the key figures in that side, and in April 2016 he became the first African to be named PFA Players' Player of the Year, the award voted for by fellow professionals. The same year he was named CAF African Footballer of the Year and also won the BBC award. Over four and a half seasons he played 158 league matches for Leicester and scored 42 goals.
Manchester City, 2018 to 2023
On 10 July 2018, Manchester City announced his signing for a reported £60 million, the highest fee either club had been involved in at that point. His first start came in the 2018 Community Shield. In his first season under Pep Guardiola, City won the Premier League, the FA Cup and the League Cup, a domestic treble completed with a 6-0 win over Watford in the cup final. Further league titles followed in 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23, along with the League Cup in 2020 and 2021. In the 2021 Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain he scored in the 2-1 first-leg win and got both goals in the 2-0 second leg, taking City through to the final. In April 2023 he scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, and that season ended with the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. In five years he played 145 league matches for the club and scored 43 goals.
Al-Ahli and two Asian titles
In July 2023 Mahrez moved to Saudi Arabia to join Jeddah club Al-Ahli in a deal reported at around £30 million. He made his competitive debut on 11 August 2023. As captain, he lifted the AFC Champions League Elite in May 2025 after a final win over Kawasaki Frontale, and added the Saudi Super Cup that August. On 25 April 2026, Al-Ahli retained the continental title by beating Machida Zelvia 1-0 after extra time in Jeddah. They were the first club to win the competition in consecutive years since Al-Ittihad in 2004 and 2005. Mahrez left the club in July 2026 after 90 league matches and 23 goals.
Algeria
Mahrez made his Algeria debut on 31 May 2014 in a friendly against Armenia, shortly before the World Cup in Brazil, where he was part of the squad. He played at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 and 2017. At the 2019 tournament in Egypt he captained the side to the title: he scored the winning free kick in the semi-final against Nigeria, a goal later voted African Goal of the Year, and Algeria beat Senegal 1-0 in the final. He wore the armband again at the 2021 edition, played in January 2022, and also took part in 2023 and 2025. He reached 100 caps in March 2025. At the 2026 World Cup, Algeria lost 2-0 to Switzerland in the round of 32. After that match, in July 2026, he announced his international retirement with 120 caps and 40 goals.
Al-Shamal
After three months without a club, Mahrez joined Qatar Stars League side Al-Shamal as a free agent, linking up with fellow Algerian Baghdad Bounedjah. The club announced the signing on 14 October 2026.
Al Shamal SCForwardMarket value €4.5M