MAHREZ IS LIVING OUT HIS DREAM WITH CITY
Champions League final special
RIYAD Mahrez has been dreaming of winning the Champions League all his life.
And the Manchester City ace will get the chance to fulfil his ambition on Saturday when Pep Guardiola’s men take on Chelsea in club football’s showpiece game.
The Premier League rivals clash in Porto to see who will be crowned the kings of Europe.
And Mahrez admits he cannot wait to be involved in the one game he’s been thinking about since childhood – but knows losing is not an option.
The Algerian winger, who scored in both legs of the semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain, said: “It’s a dream. Since I was a baby, since I was young, a young teenager, I’ve been watching this type of final – that’s why it’s special.
“It means a lot because you remember where you come from and you’re thinking, ‘Wow! It’s a good achievement.’”
Mahrez, a club record signing when he joined City from Leicester for £60million in 2018, said: “It’s good to play the final, but you need to play it to win it. It’s massive [for the club too].
“It’s the first time for the club, the first time for a lot of us, so it’s massive for everyone. Now we have to play a good game – and to win.” Team-mate Aymeric Laporte feels Guardiola’s men will do just that, because they have Phil Foden.
Centre-back Laporte reckons the 20-year-old England sensation has matured to take his game to a new level this season and been the best player in the Champions League.
He said: “With so many things this year, he’s shown a different level to years gone by.
“He’s grown up and he’s a real player, a very good player, a talented player.
“He can show many, many things. He’s different and he’s been the best player in the Champions League this season.
“He’s so good because to play here in this team is very difficult.
“There are a lot of top players from around the world and everyone plays for the international team where they’re from.
“He’s shown from the beginning that he was different in the way he attacks, in the way he takes the ball. He’s improving in every area.”