Mahrez, Kessié & Mendy pocket huge cash bonus for AFC Champions League triumph
- Omna Taddele
- 1 day ago
- 1 min read
Three African stars, Riyad Mahrez, Frank Kessié, and Édouard Mendy, helped Al Ahli Saudi lift their first-ever AFC Champions League Elite trophy, after beating Japanese side Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 in Jeddah on May 3.
The winning side were honoured by the Saudi Ministry of Sports on Monday. The Minister of Sport, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, received the three African players and rewarded them with 1,000,000 Saudi Riyals ($266,602 USD) given by Al Ahli. According to Saudi daily newspaper Al-Riyadhiyah, $186,621 USD will be covered by the club, while the Minister will cover the rest of the amount.
Kessié headed home in the first half, while Mahrez was instrumental in their continental campaign, finishing second in the scoring charts. Senegalese goalkeeper Mendy kept three clean sheets and was awarded Best Goalkeeper of the competition.
Al Ahli will now turn their focus to the Saudi Pro League. Nonetheless, their AFC Champions League win means they automatically qualify for the competition next season. They are fifth in the Saudi Pro League with 58 points, ten points behind cross-city rivals Al Ittihad.
