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Al-Ahly winger Riyad Mahrez dreams of playing alongside Lionel Messi in the Saudi Pro League, envisioning the latter as a playmaker.
Riyad Mahrez plays as a winger for Al-Ahly (Picture credit: AFP)
Al-Ahly winger Riyad Mahrez has said that it would be a dream for the team to play alongside Lionel Messi, if he arrives in the Saudi Pro League, and he would like to imagine him as the playmaker with himself on the wing. There has been a murmur around Messi moving to Saudi Arabia over the past few weeks.
Cristiano Ronaldo helped transform the Saudi Pro League after joining Al Nassr as a free agent in January 2023. He believes that the tournament is amongst the world’s top five leagues and is a superior product to Ligue 1 and Major League Soccer.
“Saudi League is better than Ligue 1, of course. Try to sprint in 38, 39, 40-degree weather and see. France only has PSG. The rest are finished,” Ronaldo had said in December.
“No. I think the five big European leagues are ahead and then we can start to compete with the other leagues. We’re not too far off, I think. After that, the goal isn’t to be the best league in the world right now,” Mahrez said earlier this month when asked about Ronaldo’s statement.
“Those like me who have arrived are here at the beginning of this adventure; we’re a bit like pioneers. We’re helping them make this league stronger. And frankly, over my two seasons, I’ve felt progress in the teams, the coaches, the tactics and the organisation,” Mahrez added.
After disagreeing with Ronaldo, the Al-Ahly winger was interviewed by CARRE, where he said that he and Messi would make a great duo.
“We heard from the newspapers that Messi might come to Al-Ahly. It would be a dream for us to play together… I imagine him as a playmaker and me on the wing. We would make a great duo,” Mahrez said.
“There is no special protection for dribbling players. Maybe Messi would receive special treatment if he decided to come, but not me. I received a lot of beatings,” Mahrez added.
Messi’s contract with Inter Miami is up in late 2025 and Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahly are ‘ready to do whatever it takes’ to convince Messi to sign with them, according to reports.
Mahrez’s Al Ahly enjoyed a triumphant 2024–25 season, clinching the AFC Champions League title by beating Ronaldo’s Al Nassr in the final.
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