Overview
- Riyad Mahrez announced his international retirement after Algeria’s 2-0 loss to Switzerland in the World Cup round of 32 on Thursday, saying “this was my final match for the national team.”
- He finishes a 12-year Algeria career with roughly 119 caps, 40 goals and 45 assists, and he captained the side that won the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
- Mahrez’s dramatic brace in injury time against Austria on June 27 helped Algeria reach the knockout stage and was one of his last major moments for the national team.
- The RMHZ player-linked token tied to Mahrez showed minimal trading and no clear market reaction to his World Cup performances or retirement, underscoring problems such as inactive platforms, weak communities and no steady revenue model for player tokens.
- On Saturday Al-Ahli announced Mahrez had left the Saudi club after three seasons, leaving his immediate club future open while Algeria begins planning a transition to younger players.