Riyad Mahrez ‘retires’ - or was his Facebook account hacked?

Has Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez actually retired from football?

According to a message posted on the Algerian’s official Facebook account, the 27-year-old will “stay away from football” following consultations with medical professionals.

The Facebook post said: “After the last consultation with many doctors, I’ve decided to stay away from football. As my time as a football player comes to an end, I would like to say few words. I want to thank everybody for the kindness and support they have shown me in this incredible city, you will be always in my heart.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

In January Mahrez was the subject of a failed transfer bid from Premier League leaders Manchester City. After Leicester rejected City’s bid, Mahrez went on a self-imposed strike before returning to first-team action.

On Saturday Mahrez scored a last-minute free-kick to earn Leicester a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth in the Premier League. Then a couple of days ago it was reported in The Daily Telegraph that Mahrez would “give everything” to Leicester despite the difficult situation after the failed City transfer.

Last night’s Facebook post has left fans and media confused and shocked. The Daily Express says that the message has “baffled” supporters while Goal.com calls the post “suspicious”. The Sun claims that “doubts quickly surfaced over its authenticity” and the Daily Mirror says the “out-of-the-blue announcement” has prompted huge reaction.

Sky Sports News understands that Mahrez’s account was hacked and the Daily Mirror also reports this morning that Leicester have confirmed it’s a hoax.

However, the latest news on Leicester’s official website is an article called “Riyad Mahrez: Leicester City’s Algerian Wizard In Numbers”. It focuses on Mahrez’s goal against Bournemouth and how it “served as a timely reminder of the Algerian’s star quality”.

Following last night’s “announcement”, the Facebook post was shared more than 10,000 times and had thousands of comments.

One fan called the post “wrong” and said this sort of news “must be told in a press conference, not on Facebook” while others wished him “the best” whatever his decision.

Thousands of fans also commented on the story on Twitter - we look at some of the posts.

Algerian football account DZFootball called the news “fake”.

Football365 says he “probably” hasn’t retired.

One fan questioned the grammar in the post.

Kevin Palmer called the post “bizarre”.