00:08In January 2014, Riyad Mahrez was a 23-year-old Frenchman
00:13plying his trade in Ligue 2 for Les Havres.
00:18By the end of the year, the dazzling right-winger with extraordinary technical ability
00:23had represented Algeria at the World Cup
00:25and helped Leicester City gain promotion to the English Premier League.
00:32By May 2016, he was one of the most unlikely Premier League champions in history
00:38and named the best footballer in England by his peers.
00:46Mahrez's successes also saw him named the best player in Africa
00:50by the Confederation of African Football.
00:53I want to thank everyone who came today for this award.
00:58And it's a huge honour to receive this award.
01:04I'm very happy, I'm very pleased.
01:06I want to thank all my teammates from Leicester and from Algeria,
01:12my managers and my president of the Federation as well.
01:18And I want to dedicate to my family and all the African, of course, Algerians as well.
01:29And all the people who support me every day.
01:33I want Africa and I want the world. Thank you.
01:36The big money move to Manchester City soon followed,
01:39where Mahrez contributed enormously to one of the most golden eras in the history of club football,
01:45lifting four further Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the 2023 UEFA Champions League.
01:58Mahrez is now an icon for Algeria, but his international career got off to a rocky start.
02:03Born and raised in France with an Algerian father and Moroccan-Algerian mother,
02:08the local media were initially critical of his inclusion
02:11and alleged that he had paid manager Vahid Halihodzic for a place in the 2014 World Cup squad.
02:24It wasn't until 2019, in the Fenix successful Africa Cup of Nations campaign,
02:30that Mahrez played his way into his nation's heart.
02:34As captain, he led Algeria to only their second AFCON title,
02:39scoring a decisive free kick in the semi-final against Nigeria.
02:47Getting to the heart of it, we're African champions after 29 years.
02:51It's unbelievable, especially to be AFCON champions away from our own country.
02:57The last time we won was in Algeria.
03:00African champions away is extraordinary.
03:05Mahrez has continued to captain his country, passing 100 international caps along the way,
03:11as Algeria returned to the game's greatest stage for the first time in 12 years.
03:19Mahrez will travel to North America aged 35 and closer to the end of his career than the beginning.
03:25But he still plays with the fearlessness of youth and has a new lease of life after joining Al-Akhli
03:31in the Saudi Pro League.
03:36And true to form, he starred for his new side en route to their maiden AFC Champions League title in
03:432025.
03:46Really important and different feeling to play for the national team, whether I play in Europe or now I play
03:56in Middle East, in a new challenging league.
04:04But, of course, compared to the Premier League, it's a bit different.
04:11But I'm still young and I still feel very good.
04:17And ready and ready and a lot of, how can I say, a lot of motivation to help my country
04:28to try to arrive in the best possible conditions for the big tournament and the big games.
04:39After a decade at the pinnacle of football for club and country, the 2026 World Cup may well be the
04:47final opportunity to celebrate Riyad Mahrez, one of the best and most unlikely superstars of the 21st century.
04:55Thank you very much.
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