Riyad Mahrez Parents and Family

Riyad Karim Mahrez (born 21 February 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for Premier League club Manchester City and captains the Algeria national team.

Mahrez began his career as a youth player for French club AAS Sarcelles. He turned professional in 2009 with Quimper, where he played for only one season before moving to Le Havre, spending a total of three years with them, initially playing for their reserve team and then becoming a first-team regular. 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. In the 2015–16 season, he was the Algerian Footballer of the Year, the PFA Players’ Player of the Year, and was a member of the Premier League PFA Team of the Year as he helped Leicester City win the Premier League. He signed for Manchester City in 2018, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and EFL Cup in his first season.

Born in France, Mahrez made his international debut for Algeria in 2014 and represented them at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and at the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021, winning the 2019 tournament. In 2016, he was named CAF’s African Footballer of the Year.

Parents and Family

Riyad Mahrez’s parents are Ahmed Mahrez (father) and Halima Mahrez (mother).

Mahrez was born in Sarcelles, France, to an Algerian father and a mother of Algerian and Moroccan descent. His father Ahmed was from Beni Snous, Tlemcen District. Growing up, Mahrez would regularly spend his holidays in Algeria. His childhood friends included fellow footballers such as Wissam Ben Yedder.

Mahrez’s father had played football in Algeria. When Mahrez was fifteen, his father died of a heart attack. He reflected that “I don’t know if I started to be more serious but after the death of my dad things started to go for me. Maybe in my head, I wanted it more”.

His father, Ahmed, was from Beni Snous, Tlemcen District in Algeria.