Algerian star Riyad Mahrez and Moroccan star Hakim Ziyech are competing for the title of "Pride of Arabs" this season when their teams, Manchester City and Chelsea, face off in the final of the UEFA Champions League on Saturday (23:00 UAE time). Meanwhile, Egyptian star Mohamed Salah has been ruled out of the running as he has not won any title in the 2020-2021 season and lost his favorite individual title, the "Premier League Top Scorer," by one goal to Tottenham's Harry Kane.
Riyad Mahrez is considered more likely to win the prestigious title, especially as he holds a regular spot in coach Pep Guardiola's lineup and has been outstanding with the "Sky Blues." On the other hand, Ziyech has been struggling for playing time under coach Thomas Tuchel, which has led fans of the Algerian star to back him for the "Pride of Arabs" title, considering him one of the top 10 players in the world right now. Should he perform well and have a clear impact in the recent European scene, he might even contest for the Ballon d'Or, especially after leading "the Citizens" to English Premier League victory just days ago.
Ziyech, who has been absent from Chelsea's matches since the start of the season, may have a golden opportunity to participate in the Champions League final, and he might seize it fully to score a decisive goal that could make him a contender for "Pride of Arabs."
If either Mahrez or Ziyech scores, they will replicate the historic achievement of Algerian Rabah Madjer and Mohamed Salah as the only Arab players to have scored in a Champions League final. Madjer scored one of the most beautiful goals in Champions League history in 1987 with a back-heel while playing for Porto against Bayern Munich (2-1), while Mohamed Salah dazzled the world with a strong presence and scored in the European final against Tottenham (2-0) in 2019.
The title "Pride of Arabs" is an honorary title created by Arab fans, who ignite debates every season about their favorite Arab players in European leagues. Mohamed Salah had dominated this title recently, especially since joining Liverpool in the summer of 2017 and participating twice in the Champions League final, winning the title in 2019. Meanwhile, although Mahrez and Ziyech have excelled in Europe, they have yet to reach the final until this season, where they have now become title contenders for "Pride of Arabs."
