 |
| mirror.co.uk |
"Riyad was too small and very frail. He was not quick. He's too slow and not good enough tactically. At age 12-17 years, it was a hard time for him. "
The speech was quoted from Mohamed Coulibaly during an interview with the Daily Mail (23/4), he was a sports director of a football club on the outskirts of Paris called Sarcelles.
Sarcelles home is only about a few kilometers from the Stade de France. Sarcelles also a place where Riyad Mahrez born and grew up. He was a Parisien, a reason why he together with N'Golo Kante highly integrated and matched with each other.
No one guessed small Mahrez will be transformed into a big star this season. Last season, Nigel Pearson still regularly played him as a reserve to fill the position of playmaker behind the duo Leonardo Ulloa and Jamie Vardy.
The position did not absolutely belong to Mahrez. He was competing with Andy King, who played more in that position before. Mahrez was not the first choice, perhaps, given his smallish and a bit of horror to imagine a duel with Vincent Kompany.
Who would have thought, a few months ago, the little skinny from Algeria succeed in defeating Vincent Kompany and drove Leicester City hit Manchester City at the Etihad (6/2). Mahrez made one goal and two assists at the time to dedicate the victory 1-3 to Leicester from the host that also contenders of Premier League champions.
And do not forget, a beautiful arch to Chelsea's goalpost (15/12), after beguiling Cesar Azpilicueta produced a 2-1 win for Leicester and delivering success to Jose Mourinho met his dismissal with the defending champions this season.
Faintly there are discordant voices who criticize the glories Mahrez. Youth Parisian, who had a difficult junior career in France, so-called, will only have one season brilliantly with Leicester City. One season wonder, they said.
But they forget, there is no sensation of a season that is capable of such a hit and finally managed to win the PFA Player of the Year. The same prestigious title ever achieved by Thierry Henry, Luis Suarez and Eden Hazard last year.
Is it feasible? With contribution 17 league goals and 11 assists. Plus notes Leicester is leading 8 points ahead of Tottenham Hotspur with the three games remaining, only God can thwart Mahrez take the individual title this season.
So, he is very deserving of the award. Mahrez is now the first African players (Algeria passports) who won the PFA Player of the Year.
***
"Riyad is our light. When he switches on, he changed our color. "
Claudio Ranieri speech at the press conference ahead of the match against Swansea City on Sunday (24/24) was not just a mere gibberish. Mahrez is not just a small candle that shines in a small room; he was a bright light that its sparkling help Jamie Vardy compete for the title of top scorer with Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero.
A typical needle player who is able to contribute a maximum when needed. He has a lot of things, although does not have anything like Lionel Messi.
Mahrez is lefthander, his left leg exceptional qualified. He is slick, a modern winger who can cut inside and be able to send a cross and through pass properly.
His through pass for Jamie Vardy delivers his teammate breaking Ruud Van Nistelrooy record scored 11 consecutive goals against Manchester United.
The winger, with the ability just as well in giving cross and pass on the ground. A fantastic combination, anomaly, he is not someone from Brazil or Argentina who famous very tricky and slippery, he is not a Spanish or Italian that tactically charming and fascinating.
Mahrez, Youth Paris, who defended Algeria. The ancestral land of great French legend; Zinedine Zidane. But, starting this season, Algeria is not just about Zidane, Mahrez, a skinny left-handed footed young boy is carving his name into history that deserves to remember.
The public may be noisy with the rise of academy players like Marcus Rashford and Alex Iwobi for Manchester United and Arsenal. Or Lionel Messi, who soared through La Masia.
But Mahrez offers another story. France, after the era of Michel Platini and Zinedine Zidane, put culture at the academy players with a physical approach and very strict.
Not surprisingly, they spawned many players who typically hard and strong. Patrick Vieira, Claude Makelele to N'Golo Kante, a little overview of how football academy in France did not put forward a technique and a good ball handling.
Indeed, not all the players from the academy in France would like it, Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial, for example. But mostly, the academy system in France spawn a lot of quality resilient midfielder who become the backbone of the team with the spartan quality and high mobility in the field.
Mahrez is the story of a skinny kid who fought through a football academy in France who walked with a thick physical approach. And he failed. He was smallish as a teenager, not physically capable of competing with the system run in Napoleon's country.
Another story if it was grown in La Masia, the problem is, Mahrez not Messi. But, this time, he should at least be in the same spot with Messi. He prepares to gain the league title already very close at hand. Not with a big rich team, but with Leicester City and managed by a mediocre coach with a long history of losers.
That said, small Mahrez so eager to play for Barcelona. Is not it interesting when he later successfully brought Leicester be the champions in the UK, the left-footed of Sarcelles will move to play in Catalan together aliens from Argentina who unnecessary unnamed?
Fairy tales that too perfect for a player from the land of Africa.
No comments:
Post a Comment