{"id":883881,"date":"2026-01-10T06:18:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T12:18:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/10\/it-will-be-my-last-afcon-algeria-captain-riyad-mahrez-ahead-of-nigeria-clash\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T06:18:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T12:18:12","slug":"it-will-be-my-last-afcon-algeria-captain-riyad-mahrez-ahead-of-nigeria-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/10\/it-will-be-my-last-afcon-algeria-captain-riyad-mahrez-ahead-of-nigeria-clash\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIt will be my last AFCON\u201d \u2013 Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez ahead of Nigeria clash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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\"Soccer<\/p>\n

Luca Zidane and Riyad Mahrez, Algeria. Photo by IMAGO <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez has suggested that the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations<\/a> could be the final one of his international career, as he prepares to lead his side into a heavyweight quarter-final meeting with Nigeria<\/a>, Soccernet.ng reports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Speaking ahead of Saturday\u2019s showdown at the Stade de Marrakech<\/a>, the 34-year-old admitted he is treating the tournament with special care, hinting that time is running out on his appearances at Africa\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n

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AFCON 2025: Algeria vs Nigeria (Riyad Mahrez v Victor Osimhen)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mahrez has been one of the standout performers of the competition so far, scoring three goals as Algeria powered into the last eight with a perfect record.<\/p>\n

Alongside the Super Eagles<\/a>, the Desert Warriors are the only team to have won all four of their matches in Morocco, navigating their way past Sudan, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea and DR Congo.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez 7 and defender Aissa Mandi 2. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But their toughest challenge yet now awaits. Nigeria, the tournament\u2019s top scorers, stand between Algeria and a place in the semi-finals, setting up what many see as a final-worthy contest.<\/p>\n

Get Our Sports News First \u2013 Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Soccer What did Riyad Mahrez say?<\/h2>\n

At his pre-match news conference, Riyad Mahrez struck a reflective tone.<\/p>\n

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\u201cEvery big tournament is a huge motivation for players,\u201d he told the media, including Soccernet.ng<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to do well. I think it will be my last Africa Cup of Nations. I don\u2019t want to look too far ahead. Right now, I just want to focus on the next game and give everything, because it is very important for our country, our supporters and our families.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Riyad Mahrez made his Algeria debut in 2014 and has since earned more than 100 caps, scoring 37 goals.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Riyad Mahrez of Algeria at the Africa Cup Of Nations. Copyright: xSFSIxIMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His club career has been just as glittering, with Premier League titles won at Leicester City and Manchester City, as well as a Champions League crown with the latter.<\/p>\n

However, his greatest moment in international football came in 2019, when he helped Algeria lift the AFCON in Egypt. That campaign included a memorable late free-kick against Nigeria in the semi-finals, a moment he will hope to echo once again in Marrakech.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"<!--Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele” src=”https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/app\/uploads\/2024\/12\/DSC_0327-copy-150×150.jpg” height=”80″ width=”80″>\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele\t\t\t\t<\/a>
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\n\t\t\t\tA lifelong fan of Arsenal and the Super Eagles, Imhonlamhen is a football writer and editor at Soccernet.ng, where his journey as a journalist began more than six years ago. Since then, he has helped shape the platform\u2019s editorial voice and guided it toward some of its proudest milestones. <\/p>\n

With a background in Engineering and further training in journalism and digital media, Imhons brings both precision and passion to his storytelling. His love for football runs deep, but he also follows boxing, chess, and athletics with equal curiosity.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer Luca Zidane and Riyad Mahrez, Algeria. Photo by IMAGO Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez has suggested that the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations could be the final one of his international career, as he prepares to lead his side into a heavyweight quarter-final meeting with Nigeria, Soccernet.ng reports. Speaking ahead of Saturday\u2019s showdown at the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":883882,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36971,95004,2005],"tags":[44104,95003],"class_list":{"0":"post-883881","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-it","8":"category-afcon","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-it","11":"tag-afcon"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883881","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=883881"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883881\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/883882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=883881"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=883881"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=883881"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}