Riyad Mahrez, the Algerian magician, spoke openly about his “regret” after being included in Al Ahly Saudi Club’s first football squad.
This summer, Mahrez, who previously played for Manchester City‘s first team in England, joined Al Ahly.
The Algerian had no regrets about his decision to move to the famed Al Ahly Castle in remarks to the publication “Lequipe,” stating that he was really happy with the relocation.
“I had two seasons left on my contract with City,” Mahrez said. “The first football team’s manager, Pep Guardiola, begged me to stay, but in the end, I decided to go.”
In order to be clear, Riyad Mahrez said that he decided to leave Manchester City after the squad won every title that could be won. He did, however, recognize that there were certain unresolved issues from his travels with the English behemoth.
He continued, saying, “I was an important and productive player for City over the previous few years. But playing a small part in the UEFA Champions League the previous season left me feeling unfulfilled.”
Regarding the Saudi Professional League, Mahrez stated that he is still learning about the league and that it is competitive right now.
In spite of this, Riyad declined to draw analogies between the Saudi Professional League and European “competitions,” saying it was too early to do so. The Saudi championship could, however, rise to the top in the near future.
On a different subject, despite several nominations supporting Moroccan goalie Yassine Bounou of Al Hilal Saudi Club for the best player in Africa, Riyad Mahrez believed he was the better player in Africa.
The Al Ahly star noted that Yassine Bounou‘s exploits, including reaching the 2022 World Cup semi-finals with the Moroccan national team and winning the UEFA Europa League with Sevilla, pale in comparison to his personal success last season, which included completing the historic triple with Manchester City.
Finally, Mahrez refuted claims that he was playing selfishly, saying, “It’s just a talent; all I do is dribble more than the average person.”