“When you go through a moment, and you are down and losing your head, it gives you a lot of experience.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“A dream is better than obligation.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I have to accept constructive criticism.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“Football is a game. So you need to enjoy your football.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I work on my recoveries, coming back into the defensive line and things like that.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I never listened to people who said I wasn’t going to make it.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“The picture of me as a child is that I was always with a ball – that’s why I was so skinny: I would miss dinner. Mum would have to leave me some food in the microwave.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“In life, that is how you advance – by pushing the limits.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“At the end of your career, what you will keep in your head is the memory of winning trophies – Premier League, Champions League. Those are the only things you remember.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“Barcelona and Real Madrid wingers, these are the big players at the big clubs and you have to watch them. They are at a top level. I’m not going to say they inspire me, but I take things from them.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I’ve had the four best seasons of my career at Leicester and have loved every moment. I feel immense pride to have been a part of what we have achieved during my time at the club, culminating in becoming Premier League champions.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I was born with this talent, so I’ve just worked hard, and now it’s gone well for me. But I’m not going to lie – I didn’t expect to be top of the Premier League.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I don’t want to return to France; France doesn’t tempt me at all. I like England.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I loved Marseille when I was a boy.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“When you taste first place, if you then go and finish fourth, you will be disappointed.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“To be first is something special.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“Jamie Vardy and myself, we have fun during matches.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I am a very funny guy.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“It drove me crazy, Scotland. It was cold. It was abuse. It was snowing and everything. I was so cold that one day I faked an injury to go to the locker room.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“Deep down inside me, I knew I could do great.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“To sum it up, I would say that the Premier League is football’s NBA.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“Playing in the Premier League, in front of such crowds and on such perfect pitches, is amazing. I am so lucky.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“My father pushed me to be a footballer. At every opportunity, he took me with him to play football. He came with me to matches.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“Maybe I am an inspiration for some players. Some young players. But I don’t like to speak about myself.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“To score three goals at City is not easy.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I’ve always had the ambition to win a lot of trophies.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“When you have quality and show it, there’s no problem.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“This is Leicester: it is not like Manchester City or Manchester United. They have an obligation to win things. We don’t have an obligation; it is just a dream.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“Every day, I was on the street dribbling, doing skills. I wasn’t in an academy till I was 19.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I was a street footballer.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“It’s hard losing a parent, especially dad because he was always behind me. It was his dream and my dream for me to become a footballer.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“When you have the ball, you are free.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I want to play Champions League every year; I want to be at a big club and win trophies. That’s my target.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“It’s difficult in the Premier League.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I always had this talent – it is something you get when you are born, so I have just worked, and it has gone well for me.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I had confidence in my quality, so I was always positive and had good objectivity.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“It’s difficult to have the Africa Cup of Nations during the season because you focus on the league, and then you go to Africa, then straightaway you come back and have to refocus in the league.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“It is up to me to adapt and to continue to surprise with my positioning, the timing of my runs, the trajectories, when I call for the ball.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“To be good is not enough; you also have to make your team win. And, when you are an attacker, that most often happens through a goal or through an assist.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“Enjoying myself is something very important for me because that is why I play when all is said and done. And it also allows me to have an engine.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“When people mention me and Messi together, it’s amazing because, to me, Messi is the best of the best. You can’t say anything to him; he’s the boss.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“I always watch Barcelona on TV at home because I like how they play.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“My father was a big influence. He kept telling me to pursue football, always. He always encouraged me and my brother.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“My early memories of my dad were taking me to play football when I was six – they are happy ones. They are my favourites.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“When I play at home, I feel like I’m flying.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“When I went to Le Havre, I wasn’t physically ready. I was skinny and not strong enough to play in a tough league. They told me to go back to the second team. I was very disappointed, but maybe that helped me to be the way I am now.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“Even when I was young, I had a reputation for it. I would play with my friends outside, and I was doing all the things you see now a long time ago. I’ve always done the flip-flap, even when I was young. Stepovers, dummies – I love to dribble. If you speak with my friends, they will say I’m the same Riyad.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“You can be first, and then in six games, you can be 12th. The results can just flip, and everybody can forget.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“We were definitely not rich, but we were not poor. My mum always came home from work and did everything so that we ate well.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“Sometimes you see me on the pitch, and you think I’m playing on the street.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“When you’re in an academy, every day you’re in at 9 A.M., and it’s, ‘Do this, do that,’ but we just came with our football.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“It’s better to have a lot of different qualities in the team; it’s a good mix.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“When there is a Brazilian who is lighting things up, he is at Real Madrid before you know it!”
― Riyad Mahrez
“For every footballer, to finish in the top ten of the Ballon d’Or is a dream.”
― Riyad Mahrez
“When I was at Le Havre, I was always sure of myself. I knew I’d make it.”
― Riyad Mahrez
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