Mahrez leaves the Etihad Stadium for a new challenge at Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia.
The winger earned 11 major honours during his time with the sky blues, including the Treble across 2022/23 – a fitting denouement.
To showcase the Algerian’s impact, we’ll run through some of his key stats…
61
Riyad Mahrez departs the Premier League with the most assists of any African player in the competition’s history.
He has 61 – 34 from his time at Manchester City and 27 from his spell at Leicester City.
It puts him two ahead of Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah, who has 59.
No.3 on that illustrious list is former Chelsea forward, Didier Drogba, who has 55 while ex-Reds forward Sadio Mane is No.4 on 38 while No.5 is former City striker Emmanuel Adebayor, who has 36.
5
Mahrez is also leaving the Premier League as the most decorated African player in the competition’s history.
The Algerian won four titles with Manchester City in 2018/19, 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 and one with Leicester City during 2015/16.
That puts him one ahead of Ivory Coast’s Didier Drogba, who won four with Chelsea in 2004/5, 2005/06, 2009/10 and 2014/15.
No.3 is our very own Ivory Coast legend Yaya Toure, who has three – all with City across 2011/12, 2013/14, 2017/18.
There are a host of players at No.4 on two top-flight titles, including ex-City defender Kolo Toure, Nigeria’s Nwankwo Kanu and John Obi Mikel, Cameroon’s Lauren and Geremi and Ghana’s Michael Essien.
3
Mahrez made history with his hat-trick at Wembley Stadium in the 3-0 FA Cup semi-final win over Sheffield United in 2022/23.
The three-goal haul saw him become the first Manchester City player to score a hat-trick at Wembley – either Old Wembley or New Wembley.
He also scored the first ever FA Cup semi-final hat-trick at Wembley.
The FA Cup semi-finals have been played at Wembley since the 2007/08 season, following a decision made by the FA in 2003.
After the City v Sheffield United and Man Utd v Brighton games, there have been 39 semi-finals played at Wembley.
It was also the first in the semi-final of the competition overall since Alex Dawson in March 1958.
Dawson bagged a treble in the Red Devils 5-3 victory over Fulham at Highbury, Arsenal’s old ground.
3.4
Mahrez was a vital part of our Champions League-winning squad – and we have the numbers to prove it.
He created 3.4 chances per 90 minutes in the Champions League in 2022/23 - that’s the most of any player who played in the competition this past season.
City team-mate Jack Grealish was No.2 with 3.37 while Napoli’s Piotr Zielinski was No.3 with 3.32. No.4 was Marseille’s Amine Harit with 3.09. No.8 was PSG forward, Lionel Messi, with 2.78 while City’s Kevin De Bruyne was No.9 with 2.75.
Mahrez was also directly involved in 30 goals in the Champions League across his career for City - 16 goals and 14 assists.
That’s the most of any player for the club since he joined from Leicester City.
112
Mahrez scored or assisted every 112 minutes for Manchester City in the Premier League.
Of the 315 players to start 50+ games in the competition since Mahrez joined City in 2018, the Algerian ranks fifth for minutes per goal or assist.
And two of the four ahead of him also have sky blue pedigree.
They are Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne, who are joined by Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane.
78
There’s no doubt that, for creativity, composure and craft, there have been few better than Mahrez during his time in the sky blue of City.
In all competitions, Mahrez scored 78 goals and assisted a further 56 during his five-year spell with the Club.
That makes him one of only three players with 75+ goals and 50+ assists for a Premier League club during that time.
He’s alongside Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Tottenham’s Son Heung-min.
134
Only Kevin De Bruyne has been directly involved in more goals for City in all competitions than Mahrez since the Algerian joined the club.
Mahrez managed to clock up 134 – that’s 78 goals and 56 assists while KDB topped the charts with 153, made up of 61 goals and 92 assists.
Raheem Sterling is No.3 with 125, No.4 is Gabriel Jesus with 104 while Phil Foden is No.5 with 99.
Mahrez also scored 10+ goals in all competitions in each of his five seasons with City – he is the only player to reach double figures in every season since 2018/19 for the club.
6
Mahrez scored more direct free-kicks in his five years with City than any other sky blue player in that time.
He bagged six from 2018-2023, two ahead of Ilkay Gundogan, who has also departed the Club this summer.
David Silva is No.3 with three while Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane are joint No.4 with 2.
Mahrez’s six came against Chelsea in the FA Cup in January 2023 and Chelsea in the League Cup in November 2022, PSG in the Champions League in April 2021, Arsenal in the League Cup in December 2020, Everton in the Premier League in September 2019 and Watford in the Premier League in September 2019.
