Riyad Mahrez produces outrageous first touch in Al-Nassr vs Al-Ahli | OneFootball

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Riyad Mahrez has been going viral on social media after producing one of the best first touches football fans have ever seen. The Algerian winger was in action for Al-Ahli in their Saudi Pro League match against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.

It is hardly a surprise to see him doing the rounds on social media, given the technical brilliance he produced while plying his trade in the Premier League. He dazzled while at Leicester City and played a key role in the Foxes league triumph in 2015/16, before then moving to Manchester City.

There, he was consistently superb, with fans at the Etihad seeing their man produce moments of magic during his five years at the club. In 236 appearances for the Cityzens, the 32-year-old bagged 78 goals and 59 assists, and that included some absolutely spectacular efforts.

However, he decided to swap England for Saudi Arabia this summer, joining Al-Ahli for a reported fee of £30m. He has since played seven times for his new club, most recently in their match against Al-Nassr.

Mahrez goes viral for insane first touch

That fixture between the two sides proved to be a thrilling encounter, with the game ending 4-3 to Al-Nassr on the night. The hosts took the lead thanks to Ronaldo, albeit in controversial circumstances.

Another goal from the Portuguese attacker and two from Anderson Talisca were enough, despite goals from Franck Kessie, Firas Al-Buraikan, and Mahrez himself on the night. However, it was another moment from the Algerian on the night which sent fans into a frenzy online, after he produced a brilliant first touch to pluck the ball out of the sky.

Playing on the right-hand side as he normally does, the former Man City winger makes a run in behind the defence and the ball is floated over the top for him. Barley letting up his pace, he traps the ball while rolling it forward simultaneously so that the attack does not lose any momentum.

Few players in world football could pull off such a move so effortlessly, and it only goes to show how good Mahrez still is even though he is now 32. You can watch the full clip for yourself below. The slow-motion replay makes it look even more outrageous.

Video: Mahrez’s insane first touch

How has Mahrez done at Al-Ahli so far?

It’s not just viral clips which help to underline how good Mahrez continues to be either. The Algerian’s numbers since joining the division have been very impressive.

His most recent run-out might not have gone his way in the end, but his penalty against Al-Nassr took his goal tally to three, while he has also bagged four assists along the way too. Only ex-Liverpool man Jordan Henderson, Ronaldo, Abdulrahman Ghareeb and Mateus have created more goals than him.

Al-Ahli currently lie sixth in the Saudi Pro League, three points behind AL-Ittihad who are top of the table. They are next in action against Al Ain in the King’s Cup, before facing Al-Ettifaq in the league. Mahrez will no doubt play an important role for the team in both those games.