End of an era in Algeria: new coach axes captain Mahrez from his very first squad

New coach, new era, and the biggest name in Algerian football is the first to go: Riyad Mahrez is not part of the plan.

Details: Riyad Mahrez has been left out of Algeria's first squad list under new head coach Brahim Hemdani, unveiled today ahead of the start of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. The 35-year-old captain, who left Al-Ahli for Al-Shabab this summer, was the face of the national team for over a decade.

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The timing is brutal but symbolic. Algeria's disappointing World Cup campaign in North America triggered a full reset: Vladimir Petković was dismissed, and the federation made a surprise bet on Hemdani, the former Marseille and Rangers midfielder who had only coached the country's youth selections until now, with Antar Yahia as his assistant. His first act is the loudest possible statement: Mahrez, the Leicester miracle hero, Champions League winner with Manchester City, 2019 AFCON champion as captain, and Algeria's second-highest scorer in history with 40 goals in 119 appearances, is out. There is no suggestion of a fallout; rather, the Fennecs are turning the page on a generation, with younger attackers like Amoura, Gouiri and Hadj Moussa expected to carry the qualifying campaign. At 35 and with his club future now in Saudi Arabia, Mahrez has not announced international retirement, but being dropped from the very first list of a new cycle makes the direction of travel unmistakable. For Algerian fans, it is the quiet closing of the most gifted chapter their football has ever known.

It's worth noting that Mahrez led Algeria to the 2019 AFCON title and was twice named African Footballer of the Year, in 2016 and 2019.

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