Mané, Salah, Aubameyang, Nsamé, Osimhen: five African players who scored 2020
Mané, Salah and Aubameyang have been decisive with their clubs this year.
© Carl Recine / Reuters - Pool via REUTERS / Catherine Ivill
Text by: Tom Rossi Follow
6 min
Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah were champions of England, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang carried his team to the FA Cup, Jean-Pierre Nsamé was one of the top scorers in Europe and Victor Osimhen Prix Marc-Vivien Foé, bought at a record price by Naples.
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Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah "
Reds
" of happiness
Liverpool crowned champion of England
, thirty years later.
Unfortunately for the supporters of the "
Reds
", the party could not be commensurate with their immense joy, because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
But they have at least been able to sing to the glory of their two African scorers the previous months when Anfield was full.
A little less prolific than during the 2018-2019 season at the end of which they finished co-top scorers in the Premier League with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (22 goals), Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah still scored close to the half of their team's goals: 37 including 19 scored by the Egyptian and 18 by the Senegalese.
A year on the other hand a little less fabulous in the Champions League since the "
Reds
", title holders,
were eliminated in the round of 16 after a breathless duel with Atlético de Madrid
during which Salah and Mané did not not shined.
That disappointment aside, there is no doubt that one of the two attackers would have been voted the best African player of the year had the ceremony taken place.
This had also been the case in the three previous editions
.
Note that at the FIFA “
The Best
” Award, Sadio Mané finished ahead of his Egyptian teammate.
The Senegalese finished 4th behind Lewandowski, Messi and Ronaldo, but ahead of De Bruyne and Salah.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, finally titled in England
Arrived in January 2018 at Arsenal, the Gabonese impatiently awaited to taste the joys of a coronation.
After a Coupe de la Ligue final in 2018 and another in
the European League in 2019
, the “
Gunners
” won their 14th FA Cup on August 1,
thanks to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
.
Gabonese Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang holds up the victory trophy after the FA Cup final against Chelsea in London on August 1, 2020 POOL / AFP
First, it was he who scored the only two goals in the semi-final against Manchester City (2-0) before doing it again in the final against Chelsea (2-1).
"
PEA
" therefore carried his team better than the trophy he dropped, without damaging it.
Enough to laugh at his teammates who urged their captain to extend his contract.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal's highest paid player following this extra time, then once again pushed his team to success during the
Community Shield
on August 29.
It was he who opened the scoring and scored the winning shot on goal (1-1, 5-4 at the tabs).
If his start to the 2020-2021 season is disappointing, like his team, we must remember that it is in the spring that we win titles.
Jean-Pierre Nsamé, Monsieur one goal per game
The Cameroonian striker of the Young Boys of Bern has been impressive in efficiency this year.
Jean-Pierre Nsamé has scored 32 goals in 32 Swiss league matches.
He obviously finished top scorer at the end of a season when his team was crowned champion once again.
Only Ciro Immobile
(Lazio Rome) and Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) were more prolific during this 2019-2020 exercise in Europe.
The Cameroonian Young Boys of Berne Jean-Pierre Nsamé during a European League match against KF Tirana, October 1, 2020. AP - Peter Klaunzer
This season, the 27-year-old striker is off to a very good start.
He has scored in seven of the last eight games he has played.
This is a major asset for the “
Indomitable Lions
” one year before the
African Cup of Nations
, which will take place at his home in Cameroon.
Victor Osimhen, eight months at full speed
He had the difficult task of replacing in Lille the Ivorian Nicolas Pépé,
Prix Marc-Vivien Foé 2019 transferred to Arsenal for 80 million euros
.
Victor Osimhen succeeded brilliantly
by succeeding him on the list
of this distinction which rewards the best African player in Ligue 1. With 13 goals scored in 27 league matches, the Nigerian catches the eye of Naples who bought him around 80 million euros, a record for the club as was the case for Pépé at Arsenal.
The two are also the most expensive African players in history.
Nigerian Victor Osimhen in LOSC colors.
REUTERS / Pascal Rossignol
In Italy, Victor Osimhen is so far not as brilliant as he was in France.
But it must be said that he is not spared by injuries: he only played 6 Serie A games for 2 goals scored.
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