Football: Africans in Ligue 1 rarely celebrate at UNFP Trophies

The ceremony of the UNFP Trophies (National Union of Professional Footballers), which reward the best players of the France Championship, will be held this Sunday, May 28. This year, the Ivorian Seko Fofana remains the slim hope of triumph for the title of Best Player of L1 behind which Africa has been running since 2005.

Ivorian Didier Drogba, left, (2004) and Ghanaian Michael Essien (2005) are the last two Africans to win the title of Best Player of Ligue 1. (Photo taken in 2007). AFP - KAMBOU SIA

Text by: Ndiasse Sambe Follow

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This season, the Ligue 1 France championship has no less than 120 African players. However, in the lot, there will probably be no players rewarded this year at the UNFP Trophies. In any case in the most prestigious category: Best player of Ligue 1. The Ivorian Séko Fofana, nominated for this award, will have to face his competitors, Jonathan David (Lille/Canada), Lois Openda (Lens/Belgium) and, above all, Lionel Messi (PSG/Argentina) and Kylian Mbappé (PSG/France).

The best Africans don't play in France

The trophy rarely smiles on African players, yet historically numerous in the elite of French football. Since its inception in 1994, only three African players have won the title of Best Player: Ali Benarbia (Algeria, 1999), Didier Drogba (Côte d'Ivoire, 2004) and Michael Essien (Ghana, 2005).

Why is the best player in L1 rarely African? Probably because the best in Africa play outside the French Championship. Algeria's Riyad Mahrez, Egypt's Mohamed Salah and Senegal's Sadio Mané, the last players to be awarded the African Player of the Year award, would certainly have won the French trophy recently if they were playing in France. Just like the Nigerian Victor Osimhen, now top scorer in the Italian league (23 goals) but who was only a great promise when he passed by Lille three years ago.

Niang, Gervinho did not go far

The other barrier of Africans is called PSG. Indeed, since the arrival of the Qataris in the club of the capital, the Parisian players trust the awards of the UNFP. Eight of the last ten best players in Ligue 1 are Paris. Only the Belgian Eden Hazard (2012) and the Frenchman Alexandre Lacazette (2015) were able to disrupt the reign of the Parisians. Some Africans have come close like Mamadou Niang appointed in 2010, but who could not arrive in front of the Argentine of Lyon Lisandro Lopez, despite the title of champion of France with OM. The Ivorian Gervinho would certainly have won it in 2011 if it had not been for the crack Eden Hazard at the same time.

On Sunday, the Ivorian Seko Fofana will tackle the mountain Mbappé, Best player of Ligue 1 in the last three editions (that of 2020 did not take place because of Covid) and great favorite to succeed him. There is therefore little chance that Africa will be at the party this Sunday.

They have left their mark on the minds of their opponents and fans 👣

Above the lot all season, they deserve to be nominated for the UNFP Trophy for the Best Player of @Ligue1UberEats 🏆

J.David, S.Fofana, K.Mbappé, L.Messi, L.Openda ⭐️ #TropheesUNFP pic.twitter.com/alwnttMCTb

— UNFP (@UNFP) May 16, 2023

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