Portal:Football in Africa/Selected biography/28

Riyad Mahrez with Algeria in 2014

Riyad Mahrez is an Algerian professional footballer who plays for English club Manchester City and the Algerian national team as a winger.

Mahrez began his career as a youth player for French club AAS Sarcelles. He turned professional in 2009 with Quimper, where he played for only one season before moving to Le Havre, spending a total of three years with them, initially playing for their reserve team and then becoming a first-team regular. In January 2014, Mahrez signed for English side Leicester City, helping them win the Football League Championship and promotion to the Premier League at the end of his first season. In the 2015–16 season he was the Algerian Footballer of the Year, the PFA Players' Player of the Year, and was a member of the Premier League PFA Team of the Year as he helped Leicester City win the Premier League. Mahrez was also named the CAF African Footballer of the Year and the BBC African Footballer of the Year for 2016.

Mahrez made his international debut for Algeria in 2014 and represented them at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and both the 2015 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.