Lille’s Osimhen Beats Monaco’s Slimani, Nantes’ Simon, Others To Another Top Award In France

The Nigeria international has claimed further rewards for an incredible maiden season in the Ligue 1, after getting picked ahead of several others as the Best African Player in the French top flight

Lille striker Victor Osimhen has been named as the winner of the 2020 Marc-Vivien Foe prize.

Lille’s (@losclive) Nigerian forward Victor OSIMHEN won the Marc-Vivien Foé @RFI @France24_fr Prize for best African player in the French Ligue 1, the French football championship for the 2019-2020 season. Congratulations @victorosimhen9 ! pic.twitter.com/gcgrctVFxI

— RFI – Relations Presse (@RFI_Presse) June 29, 2020

Osimhen becomes only the second Nigerian footballer to win the award given in honour of late Cameroon star Marc-Vivien Foé after Vincent Enyeama bagged the prize in 2014.

Gervinho and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are previous winners of the award, which was won last year by former Lille star, Nicolas Pepe.

Osimhen only joined the Great Danes at the start of the just-concluded season. Still, he wasted little time in adapting to French football, scoring 13 goals, and creating four assists despite the league campaign ending prematurely due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The 21-year-old forward’s excellent performances have seen him beat off competition from compatriot Moses Simon (Nantes), Saint-Etienne’s Denis Bouanga, Montpellier’s Andy Delort, Monaco’s Islam Slimani plus Rennes’ trio of Mbaye Niang, Hamari Traore and Edouard Mendy to this honour.

Osimhen had earlier been named Lille’s Best Player of the Year, and he also made the Ligue 1’s Team of the Season for his excellent displays.