It is very rare to have a stadium in your name during your lifetime, and even more so when you are a player still in activity.
Riyad Mahrez, the attacking midfielder of Manchester City, who will face PSG in the semi-final first leg of the Champions League this Wednesday, will have this privilege in a few weeks.
A new stadium located in the Lochères district, in Sarcelles (Val-d'Oise), his birthplace, will indeed bear his name.
The Algerian international (62 caps, 14 goals) has an extraordinary career. He first evolved from 6 to 18 years old at the local club of AAS Sarcelles. Outclassed, he even played a few games with the pennant team, then in PH (9th division), in 2009, before becoming a few years later one of the best players on the planet. “The trajectory of Riyadh proves that we must always believe in our dreams, insists Franck Satouglé, his former coach in the youth categories. He always believed in it, despite the difficulties of life. Today, its success shows that anything is possible and that you should never give up. "He is a model for all the young people of the districts and not only those of Sarcelles, adds Youssef Ghanmi, one of his relatives and his former teammate in Sarcelles.He was frail during his youth but he always redoubled his efforts. "
His father, his battle
Coming from a very modest family, Riyad Mahrez was 15 when his father died of a heart attack.
“His dad accompanied him everywhere, he wanted his son to break through in football,” says Youssef Ghanmi.
This disappearance hardened him.
Riyadh wanted at all costs to succeed to pay tribute to him.
It was a strength for him.
“Even if the training centers snub him, he does not doubt his qualities and wants to become a professional player.
“In 2009, while he was playing in PH, he told us that he would play the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with Algeria,” recalls Mohamed Coulibaly, the technical director of Sarcelles.
He started from very far but five years later he competed in this World Cup.
His strength of character is phenomenal.
"
In 2016, he became champion of England to everyone's surprise with the modest team of Leicester City.
A title that comes with the trophy for best player in the Premier League.
"It's simple, it pushes all the limits", supports Mohamed Coulibaly.
“We knew he had qualities, but it's still incredible to go from Sarcelles to the Premier League in five years,” enthuses Franck Satouglé.
Riyad Mahrez (inset) during his childhood in Sarcelles.
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Three years later, Mahrez won the African Cup of Nations with the Algerian selection. He scored the decisive goal of a sumptuous free kick against Nigeria (2-1) which qualified Fennec for the final. "He is an idol in Algeria, he is one of the favorite personalities," says Satouglé. "He never hides and always takes his responsibilities even in the face of difficulty," says Coulibaly. Watch against Dortmund in the Champions League quarter-final second leg. While his team was virtually eliminated, he showed enormous composure to equalize on a penalty. "
At 30, the Mancunien has won almost everything. In his trophy cabinet, all he lacks is the World Cup and the Champions League. Wednesday at the Parc des Princes, he will drive back a field in the Paris region for the first time since his departure for England in 2014. All of Sarcelles will have their eyes riveted on their champion. "The club is a partner with PSG and Riyadh is the child of the club and the city," said Mohamed Coulibaly. We will let fate decide, but whatever happens, we will support the winner in the final. "
