Riyad Mahrez
The Algerian winger ends months of uncertainty with a short-term deal, adding another chapter to one of African football’s most decorated careers
By Pascal Okoth
Riyad Mahrez has verbally agreed to join Qatari club Al-Shamal as a free agent, ending months of uncertainty over the former Manchester City and Leicester City winger’s future and setting up yet another chapter in one of African football’s most storied careers.
The 35-year-old Algerian is understood to have reached terms with Al-Shamal on a short-term contract, initially for one season with an option for a further year, after leaving Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli earlier this year. The move is expected to be completed once a medical examination and contract signing are finalised — the last formalities standing between Mahrez and his new club.
Mahrez has been without a club since July, when Al-Ahli confirmed his departure after three seasons in Jeddah. The Saudi club parted ways with him warmly, acknowledging his contribution to a period of genuine achievement. The numbers from his time in Saudi Arabia speak for themselves: 122 appearances across all competitions, 37 goals and 46 assists, with a haul of continental and domestic honours that underlined his continued quality well into his thirties.
His career, however, stretches far deeper than three seasons in the Gulf. Mahrez first announced himself to the world at Leicester City, where he was instrumental in one of English football’s most improbable and celebrated moments — the 2015-16 Premier League title triumph that stopped the sport in its tracks. He was not merely a participant in that remarkable season; he was one of its driving forces, winning the PFA Players’ Player of the Year award and cementing his reputation as one of the most dangerous wide players in Europe.
That reputation earned him a move to Manchester City in 2018, where Pep Guardiola handed him a stage commensurate with his talent. Over five seasons at the Etihad Stadium, Mahrez became a key figure in one of English football’s most dominant sides, collecting multiple Premier League titles and, in 2023, a UEFA Champions League winners’ medal — the crowning achievement of a club career that had already produced more than most players ever dream of.
From Manchester, he headed to Saudi Arabia and Al-Ahli, joining the wave of elite players drawn to the Saudi Pro League’s expanding ambitions. He adapted without difficulty, continuing to produce at a level that kept him relevant in conversations about Africa’s finest footballers of his generation.
Now comes Qatar, and Al-Shamal. The move carries a particular resonance for Algerian football supporters. Al-Shamal already count veteran striker Baghdad Bounedjah among their ranks, giving the club a strong Algerian presence. Mahrez and Bounedjah are familiar with each other from years of shared service with the national team, a connection that adds a layer of warmth and familiarity to a transfer that might otherwise read as purely business.
For Al-Shamal, the signing represents a statement of intent. A player who has won the Champions League, multiple Premier League titles and competed at the highest levels of European and Asian football does not arrive unnoticed. His experience, technical quality and winning mentality are precisely the kind of attributes clubs build around when they are serious about competing domestically and on the continental stage.
For Mahrez personally, the move offers continuity and purpose. He recently brought his international career to a close following Algeria’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, meaning he enters this new phase of his career with complete focus on club football — no international windows, no divided attention, just the business of performing for Al-Shamal and prolonging a career that has given so much to the game.
At 35, some players begin to slow and settle. Mahrez, whose career has been defined by reinvention and an ability to thrive in new environments, appears determined to do neither. From Quimper in France to Leicester, from Manchester to Jeddah, and now to Doha — the journey of one of Algeria and Africa’s finest footballers continues, and those who have underestimated him at each turn have invariably been made to regret it.
The formal announcement awaits. But the deal, in every meaningful sense, is done.
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