France 24 and RFI revealed, on Tuesday, the names of the 11 finalist players for the 2024 Marc-Vivien Foé prize, which rewards the best African footballer who played in Ligue 1 during the 2023-2024 season. In 2023, the Congolese Chancel Mbemba won the prize and he could do the double.
Published on: 02/04/2024 – 18:10
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Who to succeed Chancel Mbemba? The 11 contenders to succeed the Congolese in the Marc-Vivien Foé prize list are revealed on Tuesday April 2 by RFI and France 24.
As a reminder, the Marc-Vivien Foé prize has rewarded, since 2009, the best African player playing in Ligue 1. It is named in honor of the Cameroonian international, who died in France of a heart attack during a match in 2003.
Here is the list of 11 nominees in alphabetical order:
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, striker (Gabon/Marseille)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, celebrated by the Marseillais. © Clément Mahoudeau, AFP
Trained in Laval, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who played for Monaco and Dijon, enjoyed his time in Saint-Étienne and Ligue 1 between 2011 and 2013, before moving to the Bundesliga with Dortmund. He also played in the Premier League with Arsenal and Chelsea. The one who also tasted La Liga with Barcelona returned to French soil in 2023 in Marseille. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang received the Marc-Vivien Foé prize in 2013.
Read also Europa League: at OM, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is reborn and sets records
Nabil Bentaleb, midfielder (Algeria/Lille)
Nabil Bentaleb (left) facing Wesley Said. © Denis Charlet, AFP
It is in the club of his hometown that Nabil Bentaleb plays. The one who spent several years with the Germans FC Schalke 04 knows the house of the Mastiffs well since it is there that he was trained during his junior career. This pure Lille resident, who admired the Ivorian Gervinho or the Belgian Eden Hazard, dreams of taking his team to the Ligue 1 podium this season. The Algerian international is in any case part of the LOSC executives.
Lamine Camara, midfielder (Senegal/Metz)
Senegalese midfielder Lamine Camara scores his team’s second goal during the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Group C football match between Senegal and Gambia in Yamoussoukro on January 15, 2024. © Issouf Sanogo, AFP
At the heart of a Metz team which is fighting to maintain itself, Lamine Camara floats at just 20 years old for his first full season in Ligue 1. The youngest of the nominees, he is one of the most used players in the Metz club. Named Best Young Player of 2023 by the Confederation of African Football, the Senegalese international has never lived up to his nickname “mason” so well for his ability to “plug the gaps and be everywhere”. He dreams of being the first Senegalese to win the Marc-Vivien Foé prize.
Read alsoCAN 2024: Lamine Camara, symbol of Senegalese football in full swing
Oumar Diakité, striker (Ivory Coast/Reims)
Oumar Diakité won CAN 2024 with Ivory Coast. © Daniel Beloumou Olomo, AFP
He is the youngest of the nominees after Lamine Camara. At 20, Oumar Diakité discovered Ligue 1 this season after training at Asec Mimosas and a stint at RB Salzburg. After a delicate first few months, the Elephant began to show the full extent of his talent, led by an African champion title with Ivory Coast last February. Strong, fast, more precise in front of goal, the player, repositioned in the axis by his coach, has gained weight in his Reims club.
Amine Gouiri, striker (Algeria/Rennes)
Striker Amine Gouiri in the Stade Rennes jersey. © Olivier Chassignole, AFP
At Stade Rennes, Amine Gouiri has now made his nest almost two years after his arrival and after taking off in Nice for two seasons. A familiar face in Ligue 1, the former French international hopeful is an essential pawn in the Breton club’s attack with honorable statistics as a scorer and passer. Now an Algerian international, the 24-year-old hopes to become the first Fennec in history to win the Marc-Vivien Foé Prize.
Achraf Hakimi, defender (Morocco/PSG)
Achraf Hakimi is one of the leaders of Morocco. © Karim Jaafar, AFP
A senior player in the Parisian squad, Achraf Hakimi is often essential on the right side of the defense. The Moroccan international is still doing well with a new coach. He is an essential element of Luis Enrique’s tactical system this season. Having passed through Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan, Achraf Hakimi settled down at the capital club in 2021.
Chancel Mbemba, defender (DR Congo/Marseille)
Chancel Mbemba under the OM jersey. © Francis Nascimbeni, AFP
With Marseille, Chancel Mbemba continues to delight his fans. An essential player, the Congolese arrived in July 2022 at Canebière and he very quickly found his place in the squad. The one who discovered European football in Belgium with Anderlecht in 2013 won the Marc-Vivien Foé prize in 2023. Here he is in the running for a double like the Ivorian Gervinho in 2010 and 2011.
Read alsoMarc-Vivien Foé Prize 2023: Chancel Mbemba, the quiet strength of OM and DR Congo
Terem Moffi, attack (Nigeria/Nice)
Aigle et Aiglon: the Nigerian Terem Moffi plays at OGC Nice. © François Lo Presti, AFP
Since 2020, the Super Eagle has been hitting the pitches of Ligue 1. First with Lorient before joining the Côte d’Azur in 2023 in the form of a loan with a compulsory purchase option. In Nice, Terem Moffi, head of the Aiglons and regular scorer for the Nice attack, remains a tireless worker who delights his supporters and teammates.
Youssouf Ndayishimiye, midfielder (Burundi/Nice)
Youssouf Ndayishimye is a defender at OGC Nice. © Jean-Christophe Verhaegen, AFP
His coach at Nice, Francesco Farioli, defines him as “the one who gives balance to the team”. Youssouf Ndayishimiye, who is experiencing his first full season in Nice, has now confirmed the potential seen during his first six months in the French championship. An essential element of the Aiglons in a mixed role of central midfielder in the offensive phase and third central defender in the defensive phase, the pillar of the Hirondelles du Burundi contributes to making Nice one of the most airtight defenses in Ligue 1.
Moses Simon, striker (Nigeria/Nantes)
Can Moses Simon find his place in the Nigerian armada? © Sébastien Salom-Gomis, AFP
The Super Eagle returned from the CAN in Ivory Coast with a silver medal around his neck. Moses Simon, in Nantes since 2019, is a scorer and a decisive passer, who is important in the Canaries locker room. The one who set foot on European soil as a junior with Ajax Amsterdam – often a starter in Ligue 1 – is in particularly good shape this season. With his technical quality and speed, Moses Simon is used to turning the heads of opposing defenses.
Wilfried Singo, defender (Ivory Coast/Monaco)
AS Monaco and Ivory Coast defender Wilfried Singo. © François Lo Presti, AFP
Landed on the Monaco Rock this summer, Wilfried Singo quickly established himself within the Monaco defense. Among ASM’s most consistent players, the versatile 23-year-old defender has become a pillar of the rearguard of the team managed by Adi Hütter. Often right axial in a three or four defense in Monaco, the African champion (at the right-back position), impresses with his burst of speed, his heading and his ability to win duels.
