Mahrez named Algerian Player of the Year

Leicester City star Riyad Mahrez has been voted the Algerian Player of the Year, narrowly beating Porto's Yacine Brahimi to the award.

Football players and journalists from around the Arab world voted in a poll held by newspaper Al Haddaf and it was the 24-year-old who finished first.

Mahrez has been pivotal to Leicester's rise to the top of the Premier League this season, finding the net 13 times in 22 Premier League games, adding seven assists.

The winger, who was the only player nominated to turn up to the ceremony in which Mohamed Abou Trika handed over the award, received 29.51 per cent of the vote, beating Brahimi by less than one percent, with the midfielder getting 28.84%.

Sporting's Islam Slimani came in third (17.38%), while Napoli defender Faouzi Ghoulam (11.56%) and Sofiane Feghouli of Valencia finished fourth (6.5%) and fifth respectively.