Riyad Mahrez has revealed that he looks towards tennis star Rafael Nadal for inspiration to keep improving in his already very successful football career.
The Algerian has won two Premier League titles, four domestic cups and reached last season's Uefa Champions League final since joining Manchester City from Leicester in 2018 for £60million.
Before that, Mahrez was the star man for the Foxes incredible title win in 2016, winning the PFA Players' Player of the Year award in the process. He's also won the African Cup of Nations with his national team, not to mention a whole host of individual awards.
That level of success would be enough to satisfy the appetite of many players, but the 30-year-old is still hungry for even more accolades, citing the Spanish sports icon as his role model in this regard in a recent interview.
"It's like Rafael Nadal. Once, he'd won 11 times at Roland Garros [in the French Open] — and he was losing in the final of another tournament [in 2019]," Mahrez told YouTube channel Oui Hustle.
"In regards to driving himself on, he said he heard a voice in his head saying 'it's okay Rafa, you've already won 11'. But no, he continues, even when he's injured. He pushes and he wins.
"Those are the real champions. When you win, you have to win again or we'll say we're over. You have to surpass yourself all the time."
That is exactly the type of attitude the Blues faithful will love to hear as the club target a fourth Premier League title in five years when the 2021/22 campaign gets underway next month.
