Riyad Mahrez, a forward for Manchester City, has joined Saudi team Al-Ahli, the two clubs confirmed on Friday. The Gulf state’s lucrative league has recruited Mahrez as its newest high-profile player.
Mahrez joins Saudi club Al-Ahli; The 32-year-old Algerian winger, who had previously played for Leicester and won 11 major titles there, joined Pep Guardiola’s squad in 2018.
The Saudi Pro League team declared on social media that “Riyad is real” and that the wait was over.
City and Al-Ahli reached an agreement last week for a fee that may be worth up to £30 million ($38.6 million).
Mahrez said on the club’s website, “Playing for Manchester City has been an honour and privilege.
“I joined City hoping to enjoy my football and win trophies, and I did both of those things and so much more.
I’ve spent five incredibly memorable years with this football team, working with wonderful players, amazing fans, and the world’s best manager.
Txiki Begiristain, the director of football for City, paid tribute to great from Algeria.
He will be missed, but everyone will wish him the best as he starts a new chapter in his career. “There are few wingers that possess his levels of skill and technique in world football,” he remarked.
Liverpool and Al-Ettifaq confirmed Jordan Henderson’s transfer to Saudi league on Thursday.
Following in the footsteps of his former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who currently plays for Al-Nassr, France striker Karim Benzema departed Real Madrid for Al-Ittihad.
N’Golo Kante of Chelsea and Roberto Firmino, another one of Henderson’s former teammates from Liverpool, are two Premier League players who have relocated to Saudi.
Critics frequently characterize Saudi’s excessive spending on sports as “sportswashing”—an effort by the country to divert attention away from its track record on human rights.
The strict monarchy, which forbade homosexuality and executed 81 people in one day last year, sparked outrage when it killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi consulate in Istanbul.