RIYAD MAHREZ
Games/Goals
Leicester City: 139/39
Manchester City: 134/43
Premier League titles (4): 2015/16, 2018/19, 2020/21, 2021/22
Mahrez has won three Premier League titles with Manchester City, but will perhaps be best remembered for the extraordinary league victory with Leicester City in the 2015/16 season, in which he was one of the central figures in The Foxes’ most unlikely triumph.
The attacking midfielder had joined Leicester from French Ligue 2 side Le Havre for £450,000 two years earlier, helping his new club to promotion from the Championship in his first season, before a maiden Premier League campaign in which they looked odds on for relegation until a great escape in the final few weeks.
There was little really to suggest that Mahrez would go on to be one of the most dominant players in the English topflight up to that point, but his 17 goals in 37 league games the following year were the catalyst for one of the biggest shocks in sport as Leicester beat the odds to be crowned champions.
He stayed two more seasons at the club, continuing to impress, before making a £60-million move to Manchester City ahead of the 2018/19 season, becoming the most expensive African footballer at the time, a mark later eclipsed by Nicolas Pepe’s £72-million move to Arsenal.
It took him a little time to settle, but he is now a key player under manager Pep Guardiola and continues to provide goals and assists for the reigning champions, having won the Premier League title in three of his four seasons at The Etihad Stadium before this one. He also has the FA Cup title and three League Cup wins.
In total, Mahrez has 137 goal contributions (82 goals, 55 assists) in his 273 Premier League matches.