Ten months ago, 32-year-old left-footed Algerian winger Riyad joined Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli in a deal that was considered a coup for the Jeddah club, all things considered.
The Riyad in question was former Real Betis and Saint-Etienne player Riyad Boudebouz. At the time of his arrival, Al Ahli were just about to embark on their first campaign in the second tier of Saudi football, having suffered a humiliating relegation just six years after winning a third league title.
Fast forward to July 2023, another 32-year-old left-footed Algerian winger arrives in a stunning deal for the Jeddah powerhouse. This time it was the Manchester City’s magician Riyad Mahrez.
It reflects just how much things have changed for Al Ahli within a year. In many ways their story is the perfect embodiment of the transformation engulfing Saudi football nowadays.
Boudebouz did his job perfectly, helping Al Ahli to a swift return to their natural habitat, but the real boost of fortunes, unthinkable a year ago, came with the acquisition of 75 per cent of the club by the Public Investment Fund (PIF) alongside fellow traditional heavyweights Al Hilal, Al Nassr and Al Ittihad.
The subsequent spending spree saw Al Ahli bolster their ranks with the likes of Chelsea and Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, winner of the 2021 Fifa Best Goalkeeper of the Year award, Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino and most recently Newcastle United’s flamboyant winger, Allan Saint-Maximin.
But it is the Algerian who stands out in terms of profile and ability to take Al Ahli to the next level both on and off the pitch.
For all its troubles and conflicts, the Arab world, spanning the area from Oman on the Indian Ocean to Morocco on the Atlantic, has often been united in support of its sports heroes.
When Mahrez’s compatriot, Rabah Madjer, scored with a back-heel to lead Porto to win the 1987 European Cup, he became a household name in all of the 22 nations of the region long before the age of social media.
The impact of collective euphoria experienced by nearly 200 million people has been evident over the years, from Nawal El Moutawakel’s Olympic gold medal in the 400m hurdles at Los Angeles 1984 to Saeed Al Owairan’s miracle goal against Belgium at the World Cup a decade later.
Top Saudi Pro League signings
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Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr): The transfer that started it all. The Portuguese superstar moved to the Saudi Pro League in January after his acrimonious exit from Manchester United. Ronaldo scored 14 goals in his first 16 Saudi Pro League games. AFP -
Karim Benzema (Al Ittihad): The first statement signing of the summer transfer window, Ballon d'Or holder Benzema joined the Saudi champions after agreeing an exit from Real Madrid. The French striker was welcomed with a fittingly grand ceremony. Reuters -
N'Golo Kante (Al Ittihad): The French midfielder soon followed Benzema to Ittihad once his Chelsea contract expired. Kante, a two-time Premier League winner and World Cup champion, adds further glamour to the Saudi Pro League. AFP -
Ruben Neves (Al Hilal): By far the most expensive player in Saudi Pro League history. While Ronaldo and Benzema are the bigger global names, both arrived on free transfers. Portuguese midfielder Neves shattered the transfer record by moving to Hilal from Wolves for £47 million. AP -
Kalidou Koulibaly (Al Hilal): After completing the record-breaking move for Neves, Hilal turned their attention to Koulibaly, recruiting the Senegalese centre-back for £20m. Despite a difficult season at Chelsea, Koulibaly has been one of the standout defenders of his generation. AFP -
Edouard Mendy (Al Ahli): Before his long-term shoulder injury, Mendy was one of the best goalkeepers in the world, winning the Champions League with Chelsea and Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal. His £16m move to Ahli can help revive his career. AFP -
Jota (Al Ittihad): The Saudi champions are making major moves this summer, and the £25m acquisition of Portuguese winger Jota boosts an attack led by Benzema. PA -
Marcelo Brozovic (Al Nassr): Arriving to provide support to Ronaldo at Nassr, Croatian midfielder Brozovic joined the Saudi club for £15m after another impressive season for Champions League finalists Inter Milan. AFP -
Steven Gerrard (Al Ettifaq): Major arrivals are not only happening on the pitch but in the dugout. Former Rangers and Aston Villa manager Gerrard was appointed by Ettifaq and will aim to revive his career in Saudi. AFP -
Roberto Firmino (Al Ahli): The former Liverpool forward left Anfield after eight successful seasons to lead the attack at Ahli. @ALAHLI_FC / Twitter -
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Al Hilal): Arguably the most eye-catching deal of the summer. The 28-year-old Serbia midfielder has frequently been linked with Europe's biggest clubs but has opted to join Hilal in a €40m deal. His midfield partnership with Ruben Neves would be the envy of many European teams. Reuters -
Jordan Henderson (Al Ettifaq): The former Liverpool captain is expected to wear the armband following his move from the Premier League giants. The midfielder departed Anfield after 12 years, seven major trophies and 492 appearances. Reuters -
Alex Telles (Al Nassr): The Brazilian defender linked up with former Manchester United teammate Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr this summer. Telles spent the 2022/23 season on loan at Sevilla, helping the Spanish club win the Europa League. He joined Nassr for a reported fee of £4 million. Getty -
Riyad Mahrez (Al Ahli) - Algerian winger Mahrez left Manchester City after five years at the Etihad Stadium in which he won 11 major trophies. In all, he made 236 appearances, scoring 78 goals. Reuters -
Allan Saint-Maximin (Al Ahli): The French winger signed for Jeddah giants Al Ahli on a three-year contract after confirming his departure from Newcastle. During his four years on Tyneside, Saint-Maximin scored 13 goals in 124 appearances. AFP -
Fabinho (Al Ittihad): An integral part of a Liverpool squad that won the Champions League and Premier League in successive seasons following his move from Monaco in 2019. Capped 29 times for his country, the Brazilian midfielder joined the Saudi Pro League champions on a three-year contract. AP -
Sadio Mane (Al Nassr): After six highly successful years at Liverpool, in which he won the Premier League and Uefa Champions League titles, Mane endured a frustrating season at Bayern Munich, though he contributed to their title success. The Senegalese, 31, will be part of a fearsome attacking line up alongside Cristiano Ronaldo at Nassr. Getty -
Malcom (Al Hilal): Not content with breaking the Saudi Pro League transfer record once, Al Hilal did so twice this summer and made Brazilian winger Malcom the most expensive player in Saudi football history. AFP -
Seko Fofana (Al Nassr): A player in demand this summer after a superb season to help Lens run PSG close in Ligue 1, the Ivory Coast midfielder opted to link up with Ronaldo at Al Nassr over moves elsewhere in Europe. AC Milan had been strongly linked. AFP -
Franck Kessie (Al Ahli): The Ivory Coast midfielder's time at Barcelona may not have worked out but he remains a top-level operator and adds more quality and star power to Al Ahli. Getty -
Moussa Dembele (Al Ettifaq): A shrewd free transfer by Gerrard's Al Ettifaq, the French striker has moved to the Saudi Pro League side on a four-year deal and should provide the goals. AFP -
Neymar (Al Hilal). The Brazilian completed his move from PSG and is one of the biggest stars in the ever-expanding Saudi Pro League. He was unveiled in front of thousands of fans in Riyadh on Saturday. Getty -
Yannick Carrasco (Al Shabab). After 265 appearances across two spells at Atletico Madrid, the Belgian winger joined the Riyadh club for a reported fee of €15 million. Carrasco also spent two years in the Chinese Super League. EPA -
Georginio Wijnaldum (Al Ettifaq): The Dutch midfielder enhanced the Liverpool connection at Ettifaq, joining former teammate Jordan Henderson at the Damman club coached by Reds legend Steven Gerrard. Wijnaldum, 32, has signed a three-year contract. Reuters -
Gabri Veiga (Al Ahli): Widely regarded as one of the best midfield prospects in Spain, 21-year-old Veiga signed for Ahli on a three-year deal from Celta Vigo despite interest from Liverpool and Napoli. Veiga said he opted for the Saudi Pro League to "grow the game" in the kingdom. EPA -
Aymeric Laporte (Al Nassr): A vital part of Manchester City's squad that clinched a treble of league, cup and Uefa Champions League in 2023, the Spaniard switched to Nassr over the summer to link up with Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. A fee of £23.6 million makes the 29-year-old the league's most expensive defender. Getty Images -
Otavio (Al Nassr): The Portugal midfielder scored 31 goals in 283 games in all competitions for Porto after joining the team in 2014. He linked up with Riyadh-based club after Porto accepted a bid of around $65 million. AFP -
Merih Demiral: (Al Ahli): The imposing Turkey centre-back boasts Sporting of Lisbon and Juventus among his previous clubs and stood out in Serie A across two seasons at Atalanta. The 25-year-old joined Ahli on a three-year contract. Getty
But, as recently as 10 years ago, the closest the region has come to having a recognised name within mainstream European football were the relative successes of Noureddine Naybet in the 2001 La Liga winning Deportivo La Coruna side and the controversy voyages of Mido from Ajax to Tottenham to Roma.
Enter Mahrez. Having already represented his country at the 2014 World Cup, the skilful winger got his big break at Leicester City, where he captured the imagination of football fans around the world as part of a deadly duo with Jamie Vardy that took the small side from the East Midlands from the brink of relegation to a Premier League title. It remains one of the greatest underdog stories in modern sporting history.
A big-money move to Manchester City saw him rack up four more Premier League titles and join Madjer in becoming a European champion. If his status was in any doubt, he established himself in 2019 as arguably the greatest player in the history of Algeria, the Arab world’s largest and third most populous nation, scoring the winning goal against Nigeria to lead them to Africa Cup of Nations final. Algeria eventually lifted the trophy for the second time in their history.
It is safe to say that alongside Egypt and Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, Mahrez has redefined what it means to be a successful Arab athlete over the course of the past decade or so, and Al Ahli stand to benefit from the mythical status of their new talisman in many ways.
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Algeria's captain Riyad Mahrez, centre, holds up the Africa Cup of Nations trophy after Algeria defeated Senegal 1-0 in the final in Cairo on Friday, July 19, 2019. AP -
Yacine Brahimi, Youcef Belaili, Baghdad Bounedjah and Sofiane Feghouli celebrate Algeria's win. AFP -
Adam Ounas, Ismail Bennacer, Adlene Guedioura and Andy Delort are jubilant after Algeria's historic success. AFP -
Algeria's players throw their manager Djamel Belmadi in celebration. AP -
Algeria's midfielder Sofiane Feghouli reflects on his side's achievement. AFP -
Algeria's players celebrate at the final whistle. AFP -
Senegal's wait to win the Africa Cup of Nations goes on. EPA -
Algeria's players acknowledge their fans in Cairo. EPA -
Algeria celebrate their first Afcon title since 1990. -
Ismail Bennacer celebrates with the trophy. AFP -
It proved to be a night of celebration for Algeria in Cairo. AFP -
Algeria's manager Djamel Belmadi, centre, celebrates with his players at the final whistle. AP -
Fifa president Gianni Infantino, greets Algeria's Riyad Mahrez, after the African Cup of Nations final. AP -
Algeria's Riyad Mahrez kisses the Africa Cup of Nations trophy. AP -
Senegal's manager Aliou Cisse consoles Liverpool's Sadio Mane. AP -
Senegal's Sadio Mane, right, gestures in frustration. AP -
Algeria's Baghdad Bounedjah, left, celebrates with his teammates after scoring the opening goal. AP -
Algeria's Baghdad Bounedjah, centre, celebrates opening the scoring in the second minute. AP -
Hicham Boudaoui, Ramy Bensebaini and goalkeeper Azzedine Doukha celebrate Algeria's success. AFP
Of the dozen or so big names that have made the switch from European football to the Saudi Pro League this summer, only Karim Benzema has more social media followers than the Mahrez’s 28 million. Indeed, Mohamed Salah is the only other Arab athlete who commands more followers on the internet, and debates on who is the greatest Arab player of all time have increasingly tended to focus on the pair.
Al Ahli have started to experience a taste of Mahrez's impact even before he has set foot on the pitch, with their social media followers growing by half a million over the course of just a few days.
Back in 2014, when Mahrez was just making his name with Leicester City, Al Ahli signed another Arab player who became their greatest of all time. Syrian striker Omar Al Somah left the Jeddah club earlier this summer having become the Saudi Pro League’s all-time top scorer, won the league’s golden boot award three times and led Al Ahli to end a 32-year wait for a league title in 2015/16, the same season Mahrez helped to bring about the Leicester miracle.
Now the baton passes from Al Somah to Mahrez, whose task it will be to help Al Ahli make the same jump the Saudi Pro League itself is aspiring to make over the next few years – to the very top.
