The announcement is not much of a surprise, but it serves as a reminder of a captain’s determination to shine in his last dance. “This CAN will be my last, I really want to win this competition once again with this generation,” said Riyad Mahrez at a press conference, on the eve of Algeria’s quarter-final against Nigeria.
The right winger is aiming for a second title, after the success gleaned in 2019. The coronation of the Fennecs was also marked by the free kick scored by Mahrez in added time of the semi-final against the Super Eagles (2-1). The memory of this last square did not fail to be discussed.
“That was 6 years ago, there are only two left of this generation. There are similarities, but they are two different groups, different competitions. We have a lot of young people, in Egypt at the time we had a little more experienced players,” recalled the 34-year-old offensive player.
“I’m not afraid”
A Nigerian journalist dared to ask him if he feared Victor Osimhen and his partners. “Am I scared? They have scored a lot of goals, they have a very good attack, we cannot deny it. But I’m not afraid at all, it’s a football match,” Mahrez smiled.
The former Manchester City player also returned to Adil Boulbina’s liberating goal against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the semi-finals (1-0, ap). After the publication of a video showing the discussion between Mahrez and Vladimir Petkovic, some followers attributed the choice of the entry of the young left winger to the captain.
Version denied by the person concerned. “Being on the bench naturally makes me nervous, I like to interact and communicate. The decision to bring in Zerrouki and Boulbina is entirely up to the coach. For my part, I just encouraged them and gave them some advice to help them on the ground,” he assured.
