France-based Nigerian players Victor Osimhen and Moses Simon are in the running to be named the Best African Player in Ligue 1 in the 2019/2020 season after impressive seasons with Lille and Nantes respectively.
Moses Simon was impressive for Nantes in his debut season in France (Twitter/Nantes)
The award called Prix Marc-Vivien Foé, is an award in an honour to the late Marc-Vivien Foé awarded to the best player who represents an African national football team in France’s top division.
Nominated for this year’s award are two Nigerian players who both finished as top goalscorers for their respective clubs.
Osimhen scored 13 league goals and 18 in all competitions for Lille while Simon had five goals in Ligue 1 and eight goals in all competitions.
The Nigeria internationals are looking to become the first Nigerian player to win the award since Vincent Enyeama who won it in 2014 as a Lille player.
Enyeama is the only Nigerian player to have won the award since it’s inception in 2009.
Vincent Enyeama is the only Nigerian player to win the award
Both Simon and Simon will have to beat the likes of Idrissa Gueye (Paris Saint-Germain and Senegal), Mbaye Niang (Rennes and Senegal) Edouard Mendy (Rennes and Senegal), Habib Diallo (Metz and Senegal), Islam Slimani (Monaco and Algeria), Andy Delort (Montpellier and Algeria), Yunis Abdelhamid (Reims and Morocco), Denis Bouanga (Saint-Etienne and Gabon) and Hamari Traore (Renness and Mali).
The winner will be decided by votes of a jury made up of 100 journalists specialised in French and African football and will be announced in late June.
