Riyad Mahrez has revealed that his ultimate footballing ambition was to pull on the famous Barcelona shirt and line up alongside Lionel Messi.
The Algerian winger, who eventually became a hero at Manchester City, has opened up on how close he came to a different path during his rise to the top.
The Barcelona dream that never was
Mahrez established himself as one of the most feared attackers in the Premier League with Leicester. However, the Al-Ahli star has admitted that his heart was once set on a move to Camp Nou rather than the Etihad Stadium. Speaking in a recent interview with Koora Break, the winger confessed that he yearned to represent Barcelona during their modern golden era.
The 35-year-old was a man in demand following his heroics in Leicester’s “miracle” title win in 2016. While he eventually stayed at the King Power Stadium for two more years, Mahrez has now confirmed that high-level discussions took place with several of Europe’s biggest heavyweights, including both sides of the El Clasico divide and Manchester United.
Mahrez explains Messi dream
Mahrez was candid about his career aspirations and the specific circumstances that prevented him from joining the Catalan giants. He revealed: “My dream was to play for Barcelona with [Pep] Guardiola and Messi. I spoke to many teams before joining City. I spoke to Real Madrid, Barcelona and United, but Leicester were asking for very high transfer fees to let me go, and I didn’t have a release clause, so I couldn’t join those teams.”
Regrets over contract negotiations
Comparing his situation to that of his former Leicester teammate N’Golo Kante, Mahrez admitted that a lack of foresight during contract negotiations hindered his ability to force a move. Kante famously left for Chelsea shortly after the title win, a path that Mahrez was unable to follow as quickly because of the terms he had signed with the club.
Reflecting on that period, the Algerian international explained: “[N’Golo] Kante was smarter to include a €30 million release clause in his contract to join Chelsea, whereas I had turned it down, which forced me to stay at Leicester for two more years.” This contractual detail meant Leicester held all the cards, effectively pricing out Barcelona and Real Madrid during the peak of their interest.
Despite missing out on his “dream” move to Spain, Mahrez’s career did not suffer. He eventually secured a £60m move to Manchester City in 2018, where he evolved into one of Guardiola’s most reliable performers. His time in Manchester was incredibly fruitful, cementing his legacy as one of the greatest African players to ever grace the English top flight.
By the time he departed for the Saudi Pro League in 2023, Mahrez had amassed a trophy cabinet that would be the envy of any professional. During his stellar tenure with Manchester City, he won four Premier League titles, five domestic trophies, and finally lifted the Champions League trophy in his final season with the club, proving that while the Barcelona dream died, his career reached incredible heights regardless.
