Riyad Mahrez splashed a chunk of his astronomical £875,000-a-week wages on custom Rolex watches for his Al-Ahli team-mates after they won the Asian Champions League.
Al-Ahli defended their title in the competition and the Saudi side celebrated in fine style.
Mahrez, formerly of Leicester and Man City, treated the players to £17,000 custom watches, inscribed with their names.
The Rolex gifts featured the club’s colours of dark green and will no doubt have been well received by Mahrez’s jubilant team-mates.
Images shared on Instagram show close-ups of the expensive watches both in and out of the box. While the lavish gesture from the 35-year-old was no doubt appreciated, the total cost is a drop in the ocean for him.
The Algerian winger makes £44m-a-year at Al-Ahli and is the team’s highest earner.
Riyad Mahrez gave the Al-Ahli squad a custom Rolex each after their Asian Champions League win
The £17,000 watch has a dark green exterior to match the club’s colours
Riyad Mahrez and his wife Taylor Ward celebrate after his victory with Al-Ahli
According to reports in Saudi, a couple of team-mates refused to allow Mahrez to bear all the costs on his own.
Edouard Mendy and Turkish defender Merih Demiral also contributed to cover a share of the grand gesture.
Mahrez shared pictures of the joyous celebrations after their victory over Machida Zelvia (1-0) at the Al-Inma Stadium – achieved despite being a man down.
He posed with his wife Taylor Ward on the pitch in a snap she shared on her Instagram, writing: ‘Champions for a second year, so special!’
‘It’s amazing,’ reflected Mahrez, who won the Champions League with Man City in 2023. ‘It was difficult for us again.
‘We like to make it difficult for ourselves. Ten against 11 is nearly impossible, I don’t know how we found the strength and the energy.
‘After the red card we stuck together, we fought more, we ran more until we scored.’
