Riyad Mahrez, another talented schmuck picked up by Manchester City simply because they can

A small crowd gathered outside the main entrance of the Etihad Stadium to witness the unveiling of Riyad Mahrez as a Manchester City player. It consisted of several child selfie hunters, about the same number of patient parents, a shirtless guy who wanted Mahrez autograph his back, and a pair of terrifying hairy extraterrestrials called Moonchester and Moonbeam dressed from the feet to the Feet in a cool Nike box, who were either the official mascots of the city, or visits a particularly scary cheesemaker nightmare that were visible to me and me alone. It would not be the first time. For days, I tried to convince friends and family that I saw Harry Maguire play in central defense for England at the World Cup. "Yes, of course it's there," they replied. Do you already feel that you are enlightened by your loved ones?

If the existence of Moonchester and Moonbeam remains largely conjectural, the arrival of Mahrez at Etihad seems real. A transfer that, one way or another, seems to be in the making since the end of the Paleolithic – while Mahrez itself was only a sparkle in Wyscout's eyes – Mahrez to City marks the last minor step at a time when the biggest clubs are not just giants but predators, not just bright stars but black holes, with a gravitational field that even the world's richest club can not escape.

The first thing to say here is that the city does not need Mahrez. They might think that they do it, but they do not really do it. They could argue that he fills an essential and gaping gap in their leading collective skills that Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, Leroy Sane, Kevin Bruyne, Gabriel Jesus, David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Ilkay Gundogan did not. have not yet addressed. They could even, at a meeting room, explain how the signing of the club's first Arabic-speaking superstar (and it is said that his first interview with the club's website was subtitled in Arabic) is a synergy perfect with the marketing strategy of the MENA brand. and produce the graphs to prove it.

But when it comes down to that, the only reason City actually signs Mahrez, is because they can. This is the eighth sports car in your driveway, it's the monogram of gold foil on your Bottega Veneta suitcase, it controls the extra pepperoni on your triple-pepperoni pizza. And that is why, even if it is only one of the hundreds of big clubs that recruit the best talent from the bottom of the chain, this transfer is particularly free, especially free of charge , the equivalent of American football so that they can see the rose gold rings that you wear on each one.

For his part, Mahrez might think that he needs City, but even then: not so much. It can try to streamline it like ambition, upward mobility, self-improvement, chance to help the team and win trophies, things your agent tells you to say in press conferences. And there is no doubt that the view of Pep Guardiola's high-pressure amusement park beyond its gilded doors must look terribly appealing. That's probably why he stirred so hard for a move in January: if you can not beat them, go on strike until the club you're contracted for another two years lets you join them .

But what he will win at City will not compare to the scale and satisfaction of what he has achieved in Leicester, where he played a major role in the campaign. more unlikely of the history of English football. . His legacy is already secure. And for all the rancor of his departure, the reaction among Leicester fans has been impressive, although his comments on Maguire in his opening press conference ("He deserves to play higher, but Leicester is also a good club ") was the best start. Mahrez was a god in Leicester. Now, he's just another talented schmuck warming up the padded sub-bench superclub car seats, hoping people will notice it.

Of course, you're going to say that's just like football, and of course you're right. No one seriously expects that a player of Mahrez's talent will skip a big club shot, a sharp increase in salary, the opportunity to work with the most dynamic coach of the world. Nobody is seriously expecting that a city club is aiming to miss an opportunity to cement its English soccer dominance, weaken its rival, to complete its already enviable range of opportunities. offensive options. It would be good from time to time if it was not the case. But then, maybe it's just the cheese that speaks.

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