Riyad Mahrez feels confident of winning the African Ballon d'Or

African football did very well in 2023, and the Ballon d'Or rankings were proof of that, with several players from the continent in the top 30: Andre Onana (23rd), Yassine Bounou (13th), Mohamed Salah (11th) and Victor Osimhen (8th).
However, Riyad Mahrez's name did not appear on the list, despite the Algerian's exceptional season with Manchester City, which saw him win the Premier League-FA Cup-Champions League treble and boast 15 goals and 13 assists for his club this season.
In an interview with 'L'Equipe', the current player of Al Ahli in Saudi Arabia spoke about his desire to win the African Ballon d'Or, which will be awarded in December.
In his opinion, it would be fair to win this individual title, despite not being in the top 30 of the Ballon d'Or: "I've been a key player in the Premier League and FA Cup, a little less so in the Champions League, but in recent years I've always been important in this competition. It's only logical that I should be rewarded with this award.
"Normally, there's always Mane and Salah, but last year it was a bit more difficult for them collectively. It's true that he won the Europa League, but that's nothing compared to a historic treble with Manchester City. So we'll see..." he concluded on the subject.