Super Eagles and Nantes forward, Moses Simon, will slug it out with Paris Saint-Germain duo Achraf Hakimi and Idrissa Gueye, Olympique Lyon’s Karl Toko-Ekambi and eight other African players for the 2022 Marc-Vivien Foé award.
The award is given to the top African player in France’s topflight league every year in honour of the late Cameroonian international, who collapsed and died of heart failure in his side’s semi-final match against Colombia during the 2003 Confederations Cup in France.
Other African players shortlisted for the award are Yunis Abdelhamid (Rennes, Morocco); Nayef Aguerd (Rennes, Morocco); Sofiane Boufal (Angers, Morocco); Mohamed Bayo (Clermont Foot, Guinea); Seko Fofana (Lens, Ivory Coast); Wahbi Khazri (Saint-Étienne, Tunisia); Mario Lemina (Nice, Gabon) and Hamari Traoré (Mali, Rennes).
Hakimi, Bayo and Simon are top contenders for the award.
Bayo is currently the top scoring African in Ligue 1 with 10 goals, while Simon leads the assists ladder (seven) and Hakimi has been impressive with PSG this season, after joining from Inter Milan in the summer.
Simon has been impressive for Nantes this season, scoring three goals and providing seven assists and helping his side to the eighth position in the league.
Two Nigerians had previously claimed the award. Vincent Enyeama scooped it in 2014 during his time at Lille, while Victor Osimhen was a recipient in 2020 during his lone season at Lille.
