Algeria and Leicester City forward Riyad Mahrez has won the African Footballer of the Year beating Gabon’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Borussia Dortmund and Senegal’s Sadio Mane of Liverpool.
Mahrez was a key player for Leicester last season. The English East Midlands club defied the odds and predictions of relegation and clinched a fairytale title victory. The Algerian played in all but one of the Foxes’ games in 2015-16 and scored 17 goals.
He is the first north African to win the award since Morocco’s Mustapha Hadji in 1998. Two Algerians won the prize when it was run by France Football magazine — from 1970-94, with joint awards in the latter three overlapping years. Rabah Madjer triumphed in 1987, and Lakhdar Belloumi did so six years earlier.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) title made it a hat-trick of wins for the 25-year-old, who has already been named PFA players’ player of the year and BBC African player of the year last year.
“It’s a huge honour to receive this award, I want to thank all my teammates,my family, Africa, Nigeria as well,” Mahrez said.
Mahrez had humble beginnings, starting out with hometown club AAS Sarcelles in 2004. He turned professional in 2009 with Quimper Kerfeunteun in the French fourth division. He played there for only one season before moving to Le Havre, spending three years with them.
In January 2014, Mahrez signed for Leicester. He helped them win the Football League Championship and promotion to the Premier League at the end of his first season.
In January 2016, his transfer value was said to have risen from £4.5 million (5.3 million euros) to £30.1 million (35.3 million euros), ranking him among the top 50 most valuable players in Europe.
In August 2016, he signed a new four-year contract with Leicester. Two months later, he was nominated for the Ballon d’Or, finishing seventh. Mahrez made his international debut for Algeria in 2014 and represented them at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria’s Asisat Oshoala of Arsenal Ladies was named CAF African Women’s Player of the Year. Other winners are:
