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Rabat – In a recent interview with L’Equipe, Algerian international Riyad Mahrez believed he deserves the African Ballon d’Or, challenging Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou.
During the interview, the former Manchester City player discussed a number of aspects of his career. For him, he is the player best placed to win this year’s African Ballon d’Or.
“In the African Ballon d’Or, there’s always Mane, Salah, but last year was a bit more difficult for them on a collective level,” he asserted.
Mahrez then defended his chances, arguing that he won the treble, namely the FA Cup, the Premier League, and the Champions League with Manchester City last year
“In the game, I’ve been a major player in the Premier League, FA Cup, and a little less so in the Champions League, but over the last few years, I’ve always been important in this competition. It’s only logical that I should be rewarded with this title,” explained Mahrez.
Running for this prestigious title are thirty African players, and the focus is on two other players in addition to Mahrez, Morocco’s Yassine Bounou and Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen.
However, Mahrez stated he thought Bounou had an unfair advantage to get the award.
According to the Algerian winger, there are people, such as former Atlas Lions goalkeeper Badou Zaki, conspiring behind the scenes to guarantee that Bounou wins the Ballon d’Or.
“It’s true that he won the Europa League, but that’s nothing like a historic hat-trick with City. So we’ll see,” he declared.
In addition, several Algerian media outlets, including La Gazette du Fennec (LGF), also claim that “Moroccan intermediaries are working to ensure that goalkeeper Yassine Bounou is the winner.”
Pending the jury’s decision, the CAF Awards ceremony will take place in the Moroccan city of Marrakech on December 11.
Read also: Yassine Bounou: Ballon d’Or Nomination is a Reward for My Journey
