Riyad Mahrez opened up about his journey to becoming a top player in Europe, and it was not an easy one.

Leicester City superstar Riyad Mahrez made a shocking revelation in an interview with Spanish publication L’Equipe. The PFA Premier League Player of the Year confessed to stealing a bike in order to run away from trials conducted by St. Mirren. The Algerian confessed that he found it difficult to adapt to the ‘extremely cold’ weather in Scotland during the trials with the Scottish club, and opted for a quick way out.

Two months into the trials, the Leicester City star decided to borrow his friend’s bike by claiming he wanted pick up some things he had left at the training ground. He then used that opportunity to find his way home.

The newspaper quotes the Premier League sensation as saying:

''It was physical and it was cold. We trained in the snow! I felt that I progressed, I wasn’t allowed to go so I left in secret.

''I borrowed a bike so I could get my things I had left at the training ground, before catching a train to the airport and going home.’’

As fate would have it, the 25-year-old has now become one of the most on-demand players in Europe. He is reportedly wanted by French giants Paris Saint-Germain and their Spanish counterparts Real Madrid. However, earlier this week, the soft-spoken star ruled out a move to join the Ligue 1. Although he did not mention the interest from Spain, he insisted that he is happy in England.

Mahrez has been instrumental to Leicester’s title push this season, most recently after their key striker Jamie Vardy was handed a two-match ban for improper conduct. The Foxes now need one more win to be declared Premier League champions this season, for the first time in their history. With Vardy out of the picture this weekend against Manchester United, all eyes will be on Mahrez, who has scored 17 goals and provided 11 assists for Ranieri’s men in 34  league appearances this season.

 

Match details, result and original broadcast info

Manchester United 1 - 1 Leicester City

May 1, 2016 9:05amOld Trafford (Manchester)

This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.

Live TV coverage and streaming in United States

Telemundo
NBC Sports App
MUTV Online
NBC Deportes En Vivo Extra
SiriusXM FC
TalkSport International
Westwood One Sports

Follow the game on-the-go

Download our iOS and Android apps to follow on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.

Live Soccer TV App for iOS Live Soccer TV App for Android