It could be unfair to say that Riyad Mahrez has costly style.
While he was main Leicester City to the unlikeliest of Premier League titles, the fleet-footed winger was a daily in Suez Canal Barbers the place one haircut would have set you again £8.
Mahrez will do properly to discover the identical discount in Saudi Arabia however the ridiculous wage Al Ahli have reportedly agreed to pay the five-time Premier League winner ought to enable him to splash out a bit extra when it comes to the scissors – and anything for that matter.
Here’s how a lot Mahrez stands to earn and the way it compares to different stars within the Saudi Pro League after Manchester City confirmed his departure.
There usually are not many factors in historical past when a newly-promoted staff in one of many world’s much less heralded leagues has been in a position to poach a participant from a facet that simply gained the European Treble. However, the riches that Al Ahli – certainly one of 4 golf equipment owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) – have to provide, have confirmed to be too persuasive to resist.
90min have reported that Mahrez is predicted to earn a sickening £45m per 12 months. That is the equal of roughly £865,000 per week and greater than £123,000 a day.
Mahrez may afford to purchase each individual in Leicester a haircut from his outdated hang-out with simply three weeks’ price of wages.
During Manchester City’s historic marketing campaign final season, Mahrez was certainly one of solely two gamers to hit double digits for objectives and assists throughout all competitions. Kevin De Bruyne was the one different treble-winner to obtain that feat and stands because the squad’s best-paid participant (earlier than Erling Haaland’s bonuses are thought-about) on £400,000 per week.
Mahrez took residence round £160,000 per week earlier than tax, which can be significantly lower than De Bruyne however was about common when compared to the remainder of his colleagues at City.
READ MORE ON THE PLAYERS LINKED TO SAUDI ARABIA & THE MONEY ON OFFER
Rather than the monetary may of a state sports-washing its blood-stained repute with countless piles of cash, it was Cristiano Ronaldo’s resolution to be a part of Al Nassr final December that sparked the inflow of stars to the Saudi Pro League – or so says Ronaldo himself.
“I opened the way to the Saudi league,” the 38-year-old declared in July, “and now all the players are coming here.”
As his reward for prising open the gateway to a league that has been attracting over-the-hill stars for many years, Ronaldo earns an eye-watering £177m every year – virtually 4 occasions as a lot as Mahrez.
If Ronaldo was essentially the most high-profile acquisition initially of the fashionable exodus to Saudi, Karim Benzema has hogged many of the headlines this summer time.
While Ronaldo’s finest years are firmly behind him, Benzema is the reigning Ballon d’Or holder. Incidentally, Mahrez completed twelfth within the vote final 12 months, eight locations above Ronaldo.
Benzema could also be nearer to his prime than his former Real Madrid teammate however he earns barely lower than Ronaldo. Although, a reported £172m per 12 months is nothing to sniff at. For comparability, Atletico Madrid’s estimated annual wage invoice for your complete squad in 2022/23 was £130m.
One of Benzema’s new teammates at Al Ittihad is N’Golo Kante. The Frenchman grew to become shut buddies with Mahrez throughout their time at Leicester City and the pair would go to Suez Canal Barbers collectively, typically charming their approach to a two-for-one deal. Kante now stands to earn £21.5m (2.6m haircuts) per season throughout his four-year take care of the Tigers.
Al Ahli might have spent the 2022/23 marketing campaign within the Saudi second tier, however that hasn’t stopped the PIF-backed outfit from becoming a member of the division-wide movie star recruitment drive.
The FD League champions coughed up £16m for former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy on the finish of June. The 2021 Champions League winner – when he stored a clear sheet in opposition to Mahrez’s Manchester City within the remaining – is assumed to be entitled to an annual wage of round £9.4m, greater than triple his wage at Chelsea final season.
Roberto Firmino stunned Jurgen Klopp by abruptly concluding talks a couple of contract extension at Liverpool. After hanging in limbo for a number of weeks as soon as it grew to become clear he could be a free agent this summer time, Firmino agreed a three-year deal at Al Ahli. The Brazilian is predicted to rake in as a lot as £17m per 12 months.
Firmino might have doubled his wages however he nonetheless earns roughly a 3rd of what Mahrez has supposedly been entitled to.
Unsurprisingly, this Champions League-winning trio are Al Ahli’s highest earners by a substantial margin. Former Leeds United fullback Ezgjan Alioski is subsequent in line on the wage checklist however ‘solely’ takes residence £2.2m every year.
LISTEN NOW TO 90MIN’S TALKING TRANSFERS PODCAST
On this week’s version of Talking Transfers, a part of the 90min podcast community, Scott Saunders is joined by Toby Cudworth, Graeme Bailey and Sean Walsh to talk about the sensational developments round Kylian Mbappe and Saudi Arabia, Harry Kane’s Tottenham future after intervention from the membership’s homeowners, Mohammed Kudus, Bernardo Silva, Conor Gallagher & extra!
If you possibly can’t see this embed, click on right here to hear to the podcast!
Discussion about this post