Mahrez Eyes First Trophy with Al Ahli in ACL Final

Riyad Mahrez calls on Al Ahli teammates to seize the opportunity to win the Asian Champions League Elite title against Kawasaki Frontale.

Al Ahli winger Riyad Mahrez is urging his teammates to seize the opportunity to win the Asian Champions League Elite title for the first time. Al Ahli will face Japan's Kawasaki Frontale in the final on Saturday, with the advantage of playing at home in front of their fans at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium. This will be Al Ahli's third attempt at lifting the trophy, having previously lost in the finals in 1986 and 2012.

Al Ahli's star-studded squad, featuring high-profile signings like Riyad Mahrez, Roberto Firmino, Ivan Toney, and Franck Kessie, are favored to win the Asian Champions League Elite title. However, Mahrez stressed the importance of embracing the moment, saying, “When you play in this type of competition, you are ready to win, especially when you play at home.”

“We have a good opportunity to bring the first Champions League to Al Ahli, and we will give everything.

“Of course, the opponent is not an opponent that we play every week, it's from Japan and it's a different team. We have seen them play and we know what approach we can have.”

ONE LAST STEP 💚 @ALAHLI_FC pic.twitter.com/BeiRVB8oa2

— Riyad Mahrez (@Mahrez22) April 29, 2025

“The most important is to give everything and to enjoy it because maybe some people think finals are every season, but some people might only play one final in their career. So we have to give everything to win the trophy for Al Ahli.”

Riyad Mahrez, 34, has a decorated career with numerous titles, including the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup with Manchester City, as well as the Africa Cup of Nations with Algeria in 2019. Now, he's seeking his first trophy since joining Al Ahli from City last year.

“This is a trophy in another continent, in Asia,” said Mahrez, who has scored nine times in the competition so far.

“I've been lucky enough to play in teams that have won a lot of trophies with big players. When you play, any trophy, any cup you play for is always exciting.

“I'm really looking forward to it. I really want to win a trophy with this team, this club and I'll give everything tomorrow.”