Riyad Mahrez is a French-born Algerian football player who has recorded a successful football career since 2009. He was once Algerian Footballer of the Year, player of the PFA and member of the Premier League PFA Team of the Year for the 2014-2015 English football season.
1- “When I was at Le Havre, I was always sure of myself. I knew I’d make it.” -Riyad Mahrez
2- “When there is a Brazilian who is lighting things up, he is at Real Madrid before you know it!” -Riyad Mahrez
3- “Even when I was young, I had a reputation for it. I would play with my friends outside, and I was doing all the things you see now a long time ago. I’ve always done the flip-flap, even when I was young. Stepovers, dummies – I love to dribble. If you speak with my friends, they will say I’m the same Riyad.” -Riyad Mahrez
4- “We were definitely not rich, but we were not poor. My mum always came home from work and did everything so that we ate well.” -Riyad Mahrez
5- “Every day, I was on the street dribbling, doing skills. I wasn’t in an academy till I was 19.” -Riyad Mahrez
6- “Barcelona and Real Madrid wingers, these are the big players at the big clubs and you have to watch them. They are at a top level. I’m not going to say they inspire me, but I take things from them.” -Riyad Mahrez
7- “My early memories of my dad were taking me to play football when I was six – they are happy ones. They are my favourites.” -Riyad Mahrez
8- “This is Leicester: it is not like Manchester City or Manchester United. They have an obligation to win things. We don’t have an obligation; it is just a dream.” -Riyad Mahrez
9- “When you go through a moment, and you are down and losing your head, it gives you a lot of experience.” -Riyad Mahrez
10- “I’ve always had the ambition to win a lot of trophies.” -Riyad Mahrez
11- “When people mention me and Messi together, it’s amazing because, to me, Messi is the best of the best. You can’t say anything to him; he’s the boss.” -Riyad Mahrez
12- “When you’re in an academy, every day you’re in at 9 A.M., and it’s, ‘Do this, do that,’ but we just came with our football.” -Riyad Mahrez
13- “In life, that is how you advance – by pushing the limits.” -Riyad Mahrez
14- “My father pushed me to be a footballer. At every opportunity, he took me with him to play football. He came with me to matches.” -Riyad Mahrez
15- “I never listened to people who said I wasn’t going to make it.” -Riyad Mahrez
16- “Football is a game. So you need to enjoy your football.” -Riyad Mahrez
17- “I work on my recoveries, coming back into the defensive line and things like that.” -Riyad Mahrez
18- “I was born with this talent, so I’ve just worked hard, and now it’s gone well for me. But I’m not going to lie – I didn’t expect to be top of the Premier League.” -Riyad Mahrez
19- “When you taste first place, if you then go and finish fourth, you will be disappointed.” -Riyad Mahrez
20- “Jamie Vardy and myself, we have fun during matches.” -Riyad Mahrez
21- “Deep down inside me, I knew I could do great.” -Riyad Mahrez
22- “Playing in the Premier League, in front of such crowds and on such perfect pitches, is amazing. I am so lucky.” -Riyad Mahrez
23- “Maybe I am an inspiration for some players. Some young players. But I don’t like to speak about myself.” -Riyad Mahrez
24- “At the end of your career, what you will keep in your head is the memory of winning trophies – Premier League, Champions League. Those are the only things you remember.” -Riyad Mahrez
25- “When you have quality and show it, there’s no problem.” -Riyad Mahrez
26- “A dream is better than obligation.” -Riyad Mahrez
27- “When you have the ball, you are free.” -Riyad Mahrez
28- “It’s difficult in the Premier League.” -Riyad Mahrez
29- “I had confidence in my quality, so I was always positive and had good objectivity.” -Riyad Mahrez
30- “To be good is not enough; you also have to make your team win. And, when you are an attacker, that most often happens through a goal or through an assist.” -Riyad Mahrez
31- “I always watch Barcelona on TV at home because I like how they play.” -Riyad Mahrez
32- “When I play at home, I feel like I’m flying.” -Riyad Mahrez
33- “To be first is something special.” -Riyad Mahrez
34- “I am a very funny guy.” -Riyad Mahrez
35- “It drove me crazy, Scotland. It was cold. It was abuse. It was snowing and everything. I was so cold that one day I faked an injury to go to the locker room.” -Riyad Mahrez
36- “The picture of me as a child is that I was always with a ball – that’s why I was so skinny: I would miss dinner. Mum would have to leave me some food in the microwave.” -Riyad Mahrez
37- “To score three goals at City is not easy.” -Riyad Mahrez
38- “I have to accept constructive criticism.” -Riyad Mahrez
39- “You can be first, and then in six games, you can be 12th. The results can just flip, and everybody can forget.” -Riyad Mahrez
40- “Sometimes you see me on the pitch, and you think I’m playing on the street.” -Riyad Mahrez
41- “It’s better to have a lot of different qualities in the team; it’s a good mix.” -Riyad Mahrez
42- “For every footballer, to finish in the top ten of the Ballon d’Or is a dream.” -Riyad Mahrez
43- “I don’t want to return to France; France doesn’t tempt me at all. I like England.” -Riyad Mahrez
44- “It’s hard losing a parent, especially dad because he was always behind me. It was his dream and my dream for me to become a footballer.” -Riyad Mahrez
45- “When I went to Le Havre, I wasn’t physically ready. I was skinny and not strong enough to play in a tough league. They told me to go back to the second team. I was very disappointed, but maybe that helped me to be the way I am now.” -Riyad Mahrez
46- “I’ve had the four best seasons of my career at Leicester and have loved every moment. I feel immense pride to have been a part of what we have achieved during my time at the club, culminating in becoming Premier League champions.” -Riyad Mahrez
47- “I loved Marseille when I was a boy.” -Riyad Mahrez
48- “To sum it up, I would say that the Premier League is football’s NBA.” -Riyad Mahrez
49- “I was a street footballer.” -Riyad Mahrez
50- “I want to play Champions League every year; I want to be at a big club and win trophies. That’s my target.” -Riyad Mahrez
51- “I always had this talent – it is something you get when you are born, so I have just worked, and it has gone well for me.” -Riyad Mahrez
52- “It’s difficult to have the Africa Cup of Nations during the season because you focus on the league, and then you go to Africa, then straightaway you come back and have to refocus in the league.” -Riyad Mahrez
53- “It is up to me to adapt and to continue to surprise with my positioning, the timing of my runs, the trajectories, when I call for the ball.” -Riyad Mahrez
54- “Enjoying myself is something very important for me because that is why I play when all is said and done. And it also allows me to have an engine.” -Riyad Mahrez
