Algerian star Riyad Mahrez has singled out French football icon Zinedine Zidane as the only player he believes surpasses him when it comes to ball control, dismissing comparisons with several of the modern game’s biggest names.
The Al-Ahli Jeddah winger made the admission during a light-hearted video shared on the club’s official page on X.
In the clip, Mahrez was challenged with the instruction, “Keep quiet until you hear the name of a player who controls the ball better than you.”
A series of elite players were mentioned, including Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe, Kevin De Bruyne and Lionel Messi, but Mahrez remained silent throughout.
However, when the name of former Real Madrid and France legend Zinedine Zidane was put forward, the Algerian international broke his silence and acknowledged that Zidane was superior to him in ball control.
من يمتلك “كنترول” يتفوق على سحره؟ اختيار صعب 🤔🪄#الأهلي | @Mahrez22 pic.twitter.com/9R5dC5Kkd5
— النادي الأهلي السعودي (@ALAHLI_FC) January 29, 2026
Mahrez’s comments came on the back of an impressive outing for Al-Ahli Jeddah, as he featured in Wednesday’s emphatic 4-0 win over Al-Ettifaq.
The former Manchester City star provided an assist on a night dominated by teammate Ivan Toney, who netted a hat-trick to seal the convincing victory.
Attention now turns to a crucial Saudi Professional League clash, with Mahrez and his teammates preparing for a demanding encounter against Al-Hilal next Monday evening at the Kingdom Arena.
Al-Ahli currently sit second in the league standings with 43 points, just two behind leaders Al-Hilal, who are scheduled to face Al-Qadisiyah on Thursday evening.
