Riyad never wanted to join LCFC

[Tielemans63]

Riyad Mahrez reveals he originally didn't want to join Leicester

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Riyad Mahrez has revealed that while he was playing in France at Le Havre, he had absolutely no desire to join Leicester City back in 2013.

Initially, when his agents had made him aware of the interest, he didn’t even have the desire to even look up who the club were.

However, after the Foxes continued to persist and Le Havre needed the money, Mahrez eventually took the leap so the French side could earn £400,000 for his sale.

“I grew up in France so I wanted to discover Ligue 1, it was my ambition. When my agents told me Leicester City were interested, I told myself: ‘Who are this rugby team?’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice suits my coaching ambitions right now - Vieira

 

 

 

 

 

“At first, I told them I’m not going, it’s dead, what am I going to do in England? It’s not for me, it’s too physical.

“But they insist, insist, insist. Therefore, I turned my phone off during the winter break in December, telling myself: ‘They’re crazy, what do they want?’

“When I returned to training in January and I realised Leicester were still after me. When we started talking wages, etc… I immediately felt they really wanted me.

“At that point, I opened my laptop and for the first time and I Googled Leicester City. I saw the stadium, the training facilities, the infrastructures and that’s when I thought it might be worth going.

“I spoke to my mum, because, you know, parents feel these things. They have this ability.

“Then, the president of Le Havre told me they desperately wanted to sell me. The money was important for the club, so I told him okay, in that case, I’ll leave.”

Of course, the move would prove to be unbelievably profitable for Leicester City, winning the Premier League and making a Champions League quarter-final before his £60m move to Manchester City.

 

https://onefootball.com/en/news/riyad-mahrez-reveals-he-originally-didnt-want-to-join-leicester-29910021?variable=20200513

Edited 13 May 2020 by Paddy.

[SemperEadem]

We were not a house hold name then. He mentions he wanted to play in the top tier of French football which is fair enough.

 

No need to get the hump over this. Plenty of players will have signed for us with their hearts not in it at day one.

Edited 13 May 2020 by SemperEadem

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

Thought this was fairly common knowledge to be honest, I've definitely read the rugby quote before.

 

Some people are very precious.

[Tielemans63]

Just now, SemperEadem said:

We were not a house hold name then. He mentions he wanted to play in the top tier of French football which is fare enough.

 

No need to get the hump over this. Plenty of players will have signed for us with their hearts not in it at day one.

On one hand I agree with you completely but then two things stick out to me 1) the rugby team comment is a clear dig 2) he's got absolutely nothing positive to say about a club that gave him so much.

[stripeyfox]

don't understand why people are still hung up about this. So he used us as a stepping stone to further his career? Lots of people do this, not just footballers. Leicester and Mahrez had a mutually beneficial working relationship for a few years and then parted ways and moved on.

 

What a joy he was to watch whilst he was here. 

[Ashley]

He done an interview for an Algerian news source not long after he joined us. Might have been the pre season between winning the championship and the Premier League starting. 

 

In there he said how we invested in not only him but his family. My Algerian friend at work at the time was buzzing another algerian was playing in England and translated the whole article for me 😆 

[Mark_w]

Just now, stripeyfox said:

don't understand why people are still hung up about this. So he used us as a stepping stone to further his career? Lots of people do this, not just footballers. Leicester and Mahrez had a mutually beneficial working relationship for a few years and then parted ways and moved on.

 

What a joy he was to watch whilst he was here. 

 

I think the issue is that throughout his time here and since he’s been completely classless about it. Kante used us as a stepping stone to advance his career but we all love him because he’s been consistently nice and handled himself professionally. Mahrez signs new contracts, then sulks, makes out he’s being held hostage and when he gets his move is still insufferable.

[stripeyfox]

Just now, Mark_w said:

 

I think the issue is that throughout his time here and since he’s been completely classless about it. Kante used us as a stepping stone to advance his career but we all love him because he’s been consistently nice and handled himself professionally. Mahrez signs new contracts, then sulks, makes out he’s being held hostage and when he gets his move is still insufferable.

everyone is different I guess. work is work. I dont' feel the need to blow smoke up my old employers arse either. Yes, I guess it wouldn't hurt for him to be a bit "nicer" about his time here when asked about it but I don't lose any sleep about it

 

[joachim1965]

 

[Fox92]

Knew this before that he'd thought it was a Rugby club. Tbf he comes from Algeria, why would he know who we were. When Pep was playing I bet he'd only heard of Manchester United.

[Heathrow fox]

The Rugby quote is fair do’s surely? If anybody in France actually knew Leicester was a thing then they’d know it for the Tigers.

[lestajigs]

We all know mahrez is a worm like character, (kinda fella that his missus gets head butted by a man, and pretends he didn't see, and sneaks out the back door) Nothing new this story

[TrentFox]

[Suzie the Fox]

If he didnt know anything about Leicester, then how did he know about the Rugby club? Or am i missing the point?

 

Anyway he played for us, did well and helped us win the league.. we got lots of £££ for him when sold and now he has moved on.

 

It is what it is and i for one am not dwelling on it. 

 

 

[Guest]

Quote

When we started talking wages, etc… I immediately felt they really wanted me.

 

The true Mahrez speaks.

[ealingfox]

I say we give him a good shoeing next time he comes down Filbert Street.

[lestajigs]

11 minutes ago, Suzie the Fox said:

If he didnt know anything about Leicester, then how did he know about the Rugby club? Or am i missing the point?

 

Anyway he played for us, did well and helped us win the league.. we got lots of £££ for him when sold and now he has moved on.

 

It is what it is and i for one am not dwelling on it. 

 

 

Because tigers are massive, and foxes are not!😜

[Japanfox]

That Mazzy kid. Is also saying that Liverpool wanted him.  I another news story I read.   He was great for us. Agreed.   But I will not give him the title of legend due to his disrespect.

[Footballwipe]

So glad there's a landslide of dismissing this kind of crap. Anyone getting their knickers wet over this is teetering on obsession over him at this rate.

 

He didn't want to join. He did. He became a superstar. He made the right decision. Voila.

[FoxInTheBirstallBox]

50 minutes ago, Fox92 said:

Knew this before that he'd thought it was a Rugby club. Tbf he comes from Algeria, why would he know who we were. When Pep was playing I bet he'd only heard of Manchester United.

Sarcelles in France actually. Rugby is huge in France so I imagine that how he's herd of leicester 

[Ric Flair]

Seem to recall a week or so before we signed him that the deal was proving difficult to do and it was more the player or associates than Le Harve and then suddenly he was announced before we larrupsed Derby 4-1 on a Friday night. Had a horrible little blond tipped sweepover and it was love at first sight.

[Mike Oxlong]

Once he looked us up on the map and saw that we had LFE services nearby it was a done deal. 

[st albans fox]

This thread is like the current newspapers ...... headlines with no substance !!!!!

[Legend_in_blue]

When he saw how close it was to an airport that could take him places he was sold on the place 

[Finnaldo]

8 minutes ago, FoxInTheBirstallBox said:

Sarcelles in France actually. Rugby is huge in France so I imagine that how he's herd of leicester 

Unless they’re particular fans of English football, then very few Frenchmen prior to 2015 would have really known of us. When Mahrez was growing up, other than the O’Neil period when we were finishing 8th and had very brief European runs (as proud as we are of it) we were mostly in the Championship/Division 1 and League One when he was growing up, whereas Tigers were routinely going to France in European competition. I imagine that was the case in many rugbycentric countries.