Riyad Karim Mahrez (born 21 February 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a right winger for Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli and captains the Algeria national team.

In January 2014, Mahrez signed for English side Leicester City, helping them win the Championship and promotion to the Premier League at the end of his first season.

[10][11] In 2009, Mahrez joined CFA side Quimper from AAS Sarcelles, making 22 appearances and scoring 2 goals in his first season with the club.

[15][16][17] His friends and family were initially sceptical of a move to English football due to its physical nature, believing that his style of play would be more suited to Spain.

[8] Mahrez made his debut on 25 January 2014, coming on in the 79th minute as a substitute replacing fellow winger Lloyd Dyer, in the 2–0 win against Middlesbrough.

[18] After making four substitute appearances for Leicester, including scoring his first goal for the club, an 82nd-minute equaliser against local rivals Nottingham Forest, manager Nigel Pearson announced in February 2014 that he thought Mahrez was ready to start games.

[21][22] Mahrez was part of the Leicester team that won seven of its final nine matches of the season to avoid relegation to the Football League.

[27] After scoring four goals in the opening four games of the 2015–16 season, Mahrez was nominated for the Premier League Player of the Month award.

I've always enjoyed a good relationship with the chairman and everyone at the club, and I hope I have been able to repay the faith shown to me by my performances and commitment on the pitch during my time here.

[44] Mahrez did not offer a big season especially with the decline in the level of Leicester, but helped the team's arrival in the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the first time, scoring four goals and two assists.

[63] He made his debut as a starter on 5 August, as City defeated Chelsea 2–0 to win the 2018 FA Community Shield at Wembley Stadium.

He dedicated the goal to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, the former owner of his previous club Leicester City, who had recently died in a helicopter crash.

[70][71] Mahrez said he would not leave City despite his lack of game time, claiming that he knew his first season would be difficult and he had come to a stable team with good players but he trusted his potential.

[82] In the Champions League, he scored a record of seven goals, with the last being in the semi-final second leg away match against Real Madrid to grant his team a 1–0 lead before being subbed off.

[86][87] On 22 February 2023, he scored his 20th goal in the Champions League in a 1–1 away draw against RB Leipzig in the round of 16, to become the fifth African player to achieve this feat.

[88] On 22 April 2023, he became the first player since Alex Dawson in 1958[89] to score a hat-trick in a FA Cup semi-final, notching three times against Sheffield United in a 3–0 win.

[90] On 10 June, Manchester City won 1–0 against Inter Milan in the Champions League final, in which he became the second Algerian to win the competition after Rabah Madjer in 1987.

[92] On 19 July 2023, BBC reported that Manchester City had agreed a deal for Mahrez to join Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli for a transfer fee of £30 million.

[98] On 31 May 2014, Mahrez made his international debut for the Desert Foxes as a starter in a pre-World Cup friendly match against Armenia, and he was subsequently called up to the full squad for the tournament on 2 June.

[101] On 15 October 2014, Mahrez scored his first international goal, as well as setting up Islam Slimani in Algeria's 3–0, Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Malawi.

In their last game in the group stage against Senegal, Mahrez led the national team to the quarter-finals, scoring the first goal of a match ending 2–0.

[109] In October 2017, with Algeria's chances of reaching the 2018 FIFA World Cup already ended, Mahrez and his (at the time) Leicester teammate Islam Slimani were dropped from the national team, with coach Lucas Alcaraz selecting several new players.

A quick, creative and technically gifted player, his main traits are his trickery, balance, turn of pace, flair and dribbling skills.

[128][129] In his youth, he was noted for his ball skills, but was often overlooked due to his slender build;[8] when Quimper's youth manager Ronan Salaün and his assistant Mickaël Pellen first noticed Mahrez, they commented that he was talented, a good set-piece taker, and he possessed excellent technique and dribbling skills with both feet, but that he was very slim and was lacking in the tactical aspect of the game, as he played primarily by instinct, having grown up playing street football; as such, after signing him, Salaün advised Mahrez to use his intelligence to avoid challenges, as he believed that he was not strong enough to withstand physical tackles.

[15][119] Leicester's former head of recruitment, Steve Walsh noted upon observing Mahrez play that: "Riyad was a bit raw but he had a great touch.

[119] During his time at Manchester City under manager Pep Guardiola, Mahrez was also able to improve his defensive skills and work-rate, as well as his decision-making.