‘Lifetime of wonderful memories’ - What Riyad Mahrez said as £30m departure from Man City confirmed

Riyad Mahrez said he has had a ‘lifetime of wonderful memories’ at Manchester City, following the announcement of his transfer to Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli.

Confirmation of the deal was provided on Friday, with City accepting a bid of up to £30m for the ex-Leicester City winger. In a statement released via City's website, Mahrez said: “To play for Manchester City has been an honour and privilege.

“I came to City to win trophies and enjoy my football and I achieved all that and so much more. I have had five unforgettable years with this football club, working with unbelievable players, fantastic supporters, and the best manager in the world. 

“I’ve made a lifetime of wonderful memories and the manner of our Premier League title wins and the battles we’ve had with Liverpool and, last year, Arsenal, underlined our collective desire and mentality to be the best. Manchester City will forever be a huge and happy part of my life.”

Mahrez joined City in 2018 and won four Premier League titles in that period, as well as the FA Cup on two occasions and celebrated three EFL Cup trophy successes. The attacker also played an integral role as City collected the Champions League last season, to cap off the treble-winning campaign, with Mahrez playing 47 times for City in 2022/23 and scoring 15 goals.

Yet in the latter stages of the campaign Mahrez was dropped for the high-profile matches, with Pep Guardiola opting to start Bernardo Silva on the right for the last three rounds of the Champions League (including the final), plus the FA Cup final in June.

It led to frustration on Mahrez's part, and at 32, the Algerian was open to a move. Al-Ahli submitted a bid earlier this month and it was accepted on 19 July, with City allowing the player to miss the pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea.

His departure leaves City light on attacking options in the wide areas, with Silva, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish the only recognised wingers for Guardiola, although he may choose to lean more on youngsters Cole Palmer and Oscar Bobb going forward.

Mahrez is the latest in a number of high-profile players to complete moves to Saudi Arabia this summer, along with the likes of Karim Benzema, N'Golo Kante, Kalidou Koulibaly and Ruben Neves.