Marc-Vivien Foé Prize 2020: Victor Osimhen, the coronation of youth

Text by: David Kalfa Follow

Lille native Victor Osimhen won the 2020 edition of the Marc-Vivien Prize organized by RFI and France 24. In the ranking, he outstripped the Algerian Islam Slimani (Monaco) and the Moroccan Yunis Abdelhamid (Stade de Reims). At 21, the Nigerian striker, who succeeds the Ivorian Nicolas Pépé, becomes the youngest winner of this vote designating the best African player in the French Championship (Ligue 1).

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At 21 years and 6 months old, Victor Osimhen is the youngest player to win the title of best African in the French Championship (Ligue 1). His first place in the classification of the Prix Marc-Vivien Foé 2020, with 284 points, marks the triumph of youth. The striker, author of 13 goals and 4 assists in 27 Ligue 1 matches, is ahead of two more experienced elements: the Algerian from Monaco Islam Slimani (32) and the Reims Moroccan Yunis Abdelhamid (32).

Another Lille !

We will therefore have to wait before seeing an Algerian or a defender win this vote organized by RFI since 2009 and co-organized with France 24 since 2011. We will also have to wait before seeing a sacred Senegalese, despite the presence of four "Lions" among the eleven finalists of this twelfth edition.

Victor Osimhen is however the fifth Lille winner, after Gervinho (2010, 2011), Vincent Enyeama (2014), Sofiane Boufal (2016) and Nicolas Pépé (2019). Lille has therefore won half of the trophies awarded since 2009.

A beautiful promise

This result confirms the quality of Lille recruitment. Because, after having sold Pépé to Arsenal (England) almost 80 million euros, the northern club has found him a very promising replacement. It is true that the leaders did not have to look very far. The season before, Victor Osimhen played in Charleroi in Belgium, where he left a very good memory.

However, the career of the Lagos native did not look as promising, after eighteen very discreet months, between 2017 and 2018, on the side of Wolfsburg (Germany). Was the one who had been top scorer and second best player in a 2015 World Cup for under-17s won with Nigeria going to join the category of missed prospects?

Moral strength

It was forgotten that Victor Osimhen has an exceptional mental strength, in addition to athletic and technical qualities very above the average. This big fan of Didier Drogba has already gone through the worst difficulties, despite his age. In addition to having grown up in the misery of Olusosun, he lost his mother when he was little. Her father did everything to support him. A father who died suddenly in late May.

Victor Osimhen must first have lived this mourning far from his family, because of the coronavirus and the closing of the borders, before being able to spend a few days in Nigeria. After a truncated season due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he will soon be back in Europe to confirm his good performance. In Lille or elsewhere.

2020 MARC-VIVIEN FOÉ PRIZE : THE FINAL RANKING

1. Victor OSIMHEN (Nigeria / Lille LOSC) - 284 points
2. Islam SLIMANI (Algeria / AS Monaco) - 95 points
3. Yunis ABDELHAMID (Morocco / Stade de Reims) - 89 points
4. Habib DIALLO (Senegal / FC Metz) - 52 points
5. M'Baye NIANG (Senegal / Stade Rennes) - 43 points
6. Idrissa GUEYE (Senegal / Paris SG) - 37 points
-. Hamari TRAORÉ (Mali / Stade rennais) - 37 points
8. Denis BOUANGA (Gabon / AS Saint-Etienne) - 27 points
9. Edouard MENDY (Senegal / Stade rennais) - 24 points
10. Andy DELORT (Algeria / Montpellier HSC) - 13 points
11. Moses SIMON (Nigeria / FC Nantes) - 10 points

MARC-VIVIEN FOÉ PRIZE 2020 : INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

The Marc-Vivien Foé Prize only concerns Ligue 1 players who defend the colors of an African national team. Seventy-nine people - journalists, consultants, former players, etc. - voted for the 2020 edition. Each juror had to choose three players. The first chosen received 5 bridges, the 2nd 3 points, and the 3rd 1 point. The finalist with the most points therefore succeeded Nicolas Pépé.

MARC-VIVIEN FOÉ AWARD : THE AWARDS

2009 *: Marouane Chamakh (Bordeaux / Morocco)
2010 *: Gervinho (Lille / Ivory Coast)
2011: Gervinho (Lille / Ivory Coast)
2012: Younès Belhanda (Montpellier / Morocco)
2013: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Saint -Étienne / Gabon)
2014: Vincent Enyeama (Lille / Nigeria)
2015: André Ayew (Marseille / Ghana)
2016: Sofiane Boufal (Lille / Maroc)
2017: Jean Michaël Seri (Nice / Côte d'Ivoire)
2018: Karl Toko Ekambi (Angers SCO / Cameroon)
2019: Nicolas Pépé (Lille / Ivory Coast)
2020: Victor Osimhen (Lille / Nigeria)

* The trophy was not yet called the Marc-Vivien Foé Prize.

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