An African superstar's wife has now revealed how life in Saudi Arabia is not what she expected following her husband's shock move to the Middle East nation.
Algeria international Riyad Mahrez moved to Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli in July last year after being a part of Manchester City's iconic treble-winning season, and his spouse Taylor Ward has now insisted that, to her surprise, the experience has thus far been "amazing".
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Speaking on Amazon Prime show Married to the Game, Ward stated that the move came as a shock to her as her husband still had a few years left on his contract in Manchester at the time.
The initial plan was for Mahrez to return to the Citizens for pre-season preparations after the pair returned from holiday following the club's treble triumph, but that all changed quickly.
"He flew home two days early to start pre-season so as far as I was concerned he was going back to Man City and that was it. One day, he rang me while I was sat on the beach and said 'We're moving and I'm going tomorrow, that's it'," she said, per the Daily Mail.
Despite reports of other players and their families struggling to adjust to life in the country because of some of its social restrictions, Ward revealed that she has been enjoying her time in the Gulf state.
"So far, the experience has been amazing. There's obviously no alcohol so I won't be having a glass of wine!" she continued.
"To be honest, there's more there than I originally thought. When I went on my first trip, I saw a Nando's. I was just like 'I'm so happy they've got Nando's'.
"The vibe is just very different. It's a lot more chilled out there, it's quieter and calmer, whereas in Manchester life is so busy – there's so much going on and we're always going out for dinner and seeing friends.
"That's probably what I'm missing the most, seeing family and friends rather than what the country is missing.
"The people have been so lovely – I think that was actually a massive shock, how nice everyone has been. You can't compare it to the UK – it's nothing like here. I'm enjoying it so far, it just feels like I'm on holiday, I don't feel like I've moved there yet."
With some of the strict rules in place in Saudi Arabia regarding the separation of gender and couples only being allowed to live together if they are married, Ward said she had been worried about those issues before making the move, but admitted to things being better than she had first expected.
"I think it depends on where you go. At the moment, they're looking at relaxing these rules. From what I had heard, I was worried about that stuff when we first went, but it's surprised me.
"It's more relaxed from what I was first told."
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Mahrez seems to have settled well into his new surroundings too, having scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 19 appearances to help Al Ahli – a team previously managed by South Africa's Pitso Mosimane – to third place on the table, six points behind Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr.
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