From Leicester title winner to Qatar bound — Riyad Mahrez's next chapter emerges

Riyad Mahrez is set to sign for Qatari club Al Shamal, according to reports, bringing one of the most remarkable careers in North African football history to a new chapter less than a year after his final World Cup appearance.

The 35-year-old has been without a club since leaving Al Ahli at the end of the Saudi Pro League season, and a formal agreement with Al Shamal — currently Qatar's vice-champions — is understood to be close, with a medical and contract signing expected imminently.

Mahrez's journey from Leicester to the Gulf

The move continues a trajectory that remains extraordinary by any measure. Mahrez emerged as a globally recognised talent at Leicester City, where he registered 17 goals and 11 assists in the 2015-16 season that produced one of the most improbable league title wins in English football history. Five seasons at Manchester City followed, delivering four further Premier League titles and a Champions League.

Having departed as a free agent, Mahrez spent three seasons in Saudi Arabia with Al Ahli, where he was one of the headline names in the Saudi Pro League and won back-to-back AFC Champions League titles under Matthias Jaissle — the same boss now in charge at Newcastle United. His salary at Al Ahli reached approximately £43m per year, making him one of the highest-paid players in the world.

A World Cup farewell and retirement from international duty

The Algeria captain made his second World Cup appearance this summer before announcing his international retirement as the all-time record holder for appearances with the national side. Mahrez scored twice and provided an assist as Algeria advanced from the group stage before falling to Switzerland in the last 16.

At Al Shamal, he will link up with former Arsenal and Villarreal centre-back Pablo Mari, Jeison Murillo who has experience at Barcelona and Inter Milan, and former Algeria team-mate Baghdad Bounedjah. Al Shamal will offer considerably less than Al Ahli's package, but will provide a competitive environment against a backdrop of reduced personal demand in the final phase of his career.