The list of 14 players who have notched 60-plus goals and 60-plus assists in thePremier Leaguereads like a who’s who ofPremier Leagueattacking talent.
Half of their number have already been inducted into thePremier LeagueHall of Fame and it would have been eight without the dark cloud of a domestic violence trial. It might have been nine without a conspiracy theorist rapidly and publicly unravelling and will be at least 10 when David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne retire from the game.
The full list: Ryan Giggs, Wayne Rooney, Kevin De Bruyne, Frank Lampard, Dennis Bergkamp, David Silva, Steven Gerrard, David Beckham, Teddy Sheringham, Thierry Henry, Andy Cole, Alan Shearer, Matt Le Tissier andRiyad Mahrez.
We would be astonished if the latter is ever inducted, despite winning exactly as manyPremier Leaguetitles as Peter Schmeichel, John Terry and Wayne Rooney. His name feels like an intrusion into a list that does not even include Harry Kane; Mahrez has quietly excelled in the top flight for almost a decade but could leave this summer with barely a shrug from anyone outside east Manchester. Has any exceptionalPremier Leaguefootballer been so under-appreciated?
At one juncture, the answer to that question would have been ‘yes, Sergio Aguero‘, who also suffered from being a quiet, foreign player at a club with a growing but miniscule (in comparison with Manchester United or Liverpool) global following. And then there are the asterisks, with every achievement from aCityplayer denigrated by association. Over 60 goals? Over 60 assists? Ah, but it’sCity.
Yet Mahrez was simply electric in that Leicester title-winning season, entirely deserving a move toManchester Citywhich has seen him produce five years of consistent magic. “He is a guy who dances on the pitch,” said Pep Guardiola during one of many purple patches from the Algerian.
Last season was not his best but still bɾօυɢҺt 15 goals in all competitions. Last season was not his best but only De Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes contributed to more chances per 90 minutes in thePremier League. If that’s the worst of Mahrez then we really should appreciate the best.
Mahrez may be painted as aManchester Cityfringe player if gets his wish to leave forSaudi Arabiabut only nine players played more minutes forCityin a Treble-winning season. His problem – whichunderstandably made him ‘grumpy’– was that none of those minutes came in the Champions League or FA Cup finals, by which time Pep Guardiola had settled on a formation that did not include him. That he started the last sevenPremier Leaguegames of the season asCitywrapped up the title appears to have bɾօυɢҺt little solace.
It’s hardly surprising that Mahrez wanted more from Guardiola because at any otherPremier Leaguehe would be as overworked as Fernandes at Manchester United. At any otherPremier Leagueclub there would be talk of statues. At any otherPremier Leagueclub he would have been in at least one PFA Team of the Year. But this isCityand along with the rotation from Pep comes a lack of respect from elsewhere.
The list of 14 players who have notched 60-plus goals and 60-plus assists in thePremier Leaguereads like a who’s who ofPremier Leagueattacking talent. And among them isRiyad Mahrez.
