Riyad Mahrez joins Al-Ahli in £30m deal: Decoding his stats
Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez has completed his move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli for £30m. Notably, the 32-year-old had two years left on his contract. He is now the latest big-name recruit by the Saudi Pro League. Mahrez leaves City, having won plenty of trophies including the treble last season. He has signed a three-year contract with the Saudi side.
Why does this story matter?
Mahrez spent five seasons at City and was a key personnel for Pep Guardiola. He arrived at the Etihad in the summer of 2018 for a then club-record £60m fee. He had played an influential role in Leicester City's Premier League title-winning season in 2015-16. Mahrez will team up with Roberto Firmino and Edouard Mendy at Al-Ahli, who left the Premier League as well.
Mahrez's stats at Manchester City
Across five seasons, Mahrez went on to make a total of 236 appearances in all competitions. He scored 78 goals and made 56 assists. In the Premier League, Mahrez went on to make 145 appearances for City, scoring 43 goals, besides making 34 assists. His best season was in 2021-22. He scored 24 goals in all competitions and made nine assists.
Mahrez's club career stats before Man City move
Mahrez started his career, playing in Championnat National 2 which is the fourth tier in French league football. He scored once in 27 matches for Quimper, besides 24 goals in 60 appearances for Le Havre II. He scored 10 goals in 60 appearances for Le Havre next in Ligue 2. He then moved to Leicester, clocking 48 goals and 32 assists in 179 matches.
Breaking down Mahrez's Premier League stats in 2022-23
In the Premier League 2022-23 season, Mahrez played 30 matches, scoring five goals and making 10 assists. As per Opta, he clocked 28 shots (excluding blocks), managing 13 on target. Mahrez created 51 chances and completed 897 out of 1,033 passes (pass accuracy of 86.83%). He also made 30 tackles and completed 27 take-ons. Mahrez won 99 ground duels and made nine interceptions.
Five Premier League titles for Mahrez
Mahrez won the Championship with Leicester in 2013-14 before helping them win the Premier League in 2015-16. With Man City, he won four Premier League honors. He also won two FA Cups, three League Cups, one Champions League, and one FA Community Shield. In 2015-16, he won the PFA Players' Player of the Year award.
