Riyad Mahrez will be the captain of Algeria in the final of the African National Cup

Riyad Mahrez will be the captain of Algeria next month as he defends his African Cup crown, appointed by coach Djamel Belmadi to lead the 28-man squad at the Cameroon Championships.

The Manchester City striker is one of 15 players on the team who won the final in 2019 to return in the delayed 2021 edition, where Algeria competes in Group E against Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire and Sierra Leone.

Algeria defends its crown against Sierra Leone on January 11 in Douala.