Global EditionASIA 中文双语Français
Sports

From the gritty Paris suburbs to City slicker

Riyad Mahrez's remarkable journey comes full circle in Champions League

China Daily | Updated: 2021-05-01 00:00
Share
Share - WeChat

Born and raised in a gritty Paris suburb, Riyad Mahrez has gone on to become one of the leading players of his generation. On Wednesday he enjoyed a fruitful return to the French capital by netting in Manchester City's 2-1 Champions League semifinal first-leg victory over Paris Saint-Germain.

Pep Guardiola's City is now in pole position to reach the final of Europe's premier club competition thanks to a second-half masterclass when Mahrez took center stage, curling home the winner with a trademark freekick.

Yet his route to the top, sidestepping the usual youth academy apprenticeship, is variously described by his former coaches in Sarcelles as "unlikely" and the player himself as an "anomaly".

Now 30, the winger has been a key player for City this season, scoring in its Champions League quarterfinal win over Borussia Dortmund and playing the 90 minutes as Guardiola's side defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the English League Cup final last Sunday.

He has also won the Africa Cup of Nations with Algeria, the country from where his father emigrated to France.

Mahrez grew up in Sarcelles, in the "banlieues" around 20 kilometers north of Paris, and learned the game at a local amateur club, leaving a mark on those who played with him as he made his journey to one of Europe's biggest sides.

"The only person who believed was Riyad himself," Hayel Mbemba, who played with Mahrez at AAS Sarcelles, told AFP. "He has a strength of character which is above the average. He is football crazy, and that is an understatement."

"He owes his success entirely to himself. He had an unwavering self-confidence. Some people might think it's arrogance but it's not the case," explains Mohamed Coulibaly, who runs the local club.

The production line of world-class players coming through the Paris suburbs is remarkable and seemingly never-ending, from Thierry Henry to Paul Pogba, Kylian Mbappe and many more in between.

Teenage tribulations

However, while Mahrez was always a young player with outstanding technical gifts, that was no guarantee he would make it in the game.

His former coaches recall how his slender physique seemed to work against him, but aged 18 he left Sarcelles for a trial at Quimper, an amateur fourth-tier club in the northwestern province of Brittany.

From there he earned a professional deal at Le Havre, the second-division club where Pogba first played.

Mahrez spent four years in the Normandy port city before crossing the English Channel to sign for Leicester City, then in the second-tier Championship.

He has never looked back since moving to England, but sources close to Mahrez say he was "hesitant" and that he "sought the advice of his friends in Sarcelles who convinced him to go".

It is just as well he went.

Mahrez won the English Premier League with Leicester, against all odds, in 2016 and is now on the brink of a second Premier League title in three seasons with City.

The Champions League could follow, if Mahrez can help City get the better of his hometown club first.

"His journey is something of an anomaly in football. He has beaten the odds all thanks to his technical ability," says Mbemba, and there is a belief that missing out on youth academy coaching has allowed him to retain an element of the street soccer player so rarely seen in the modern game.

"When I watch him on TV he dribbles in the same way he did when he was 10 years old," says Franck Satougle, who once coached Mahrez.

Satougle watched Mahrez play as a kid and remembers how, even after he turned professional at Le Havre, he would come back to Sarcelles on a Sunday and play in the neighborhood where he grew up.

"His journey is the dream of every kid in the 'banlieues'. He is just a few steps away from winning the greatest trophy in European football despite his unlikely route to the top," said Satougle.

Local pride

Sarcelles may be PSG territory, but there is still plenty of local pride at Mahrez's success.

"Riyad is a respected person with exemplary physical and mental discipline. He is a source of inspiration for the people of Sarcelles," says Patrick Haddad, the mayor of the town. He awarded Mahrez the medal of Sarcelles in 2019.

Mahrez may be the captain of Algeria but he remains attached to the suburb where he grew up and is involved in a scheme which allows young people from Sarcelles to travel to Manchester to watch City.

A stadium named after Mahrez will be inaugurated later this year in Sarcelles.

"He is a good lad who is still a child at heart and who expresses himself with the ball," adds Mbemba. And that's something PSG don't need reminding about.

AFP

 

 

Riyad Mahrez celebrates scoring Manchester City's second goal in its 2-1 Champions League semifinal first-leg victory over Paris Saint-Germain at Parc des Princes on Wednesday. REUTERS

 

 

Today's Top News

Editor's picks

Most Viewed

Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US