Ligue 1: 5 Africans who made their mark on the season

1-Mory Diaw, a winning return to Ligue 1

He is one of the revelations of this Ligue 1 season. The Clermont goalkeeper played 37 of 38 matches this season. And he was more than convincing, pulling off some fine saves. At 29, he has established himself as Clermont's No. 1 goalkeeper. Over the campaign, he kept 10 clean sheets. He will also be called up with the reigning African champions for the September 2022 get-together. A good omen for next season.

2-Chancel Mbemba, a decisive defender

It is the 2023 Marc-Vivien Foé award, given to the best African player in Ligue 1. Chancel Mbemba is also the first defender to win the prize. It is richly deserved given his solidity this season. Having arrived at Marseille from Porto in July 2022, the Congolese could not have wished for a better start to life in Ligue 1. Chancel Mbemba produced a superb season, with 35 appearances, 31 of them starts, in the French top flight. He found the net 7 times in all competitions, making him the club's 2nd top scorer behind Alexis Sanchez (18 goals). Not bad at all for a defender.

3-Seko Fofana, Lens's guiding light

Lens had the best season in their history. The Sang et Or finished second in Ligue 1 with 84 points, just one point behind champions PSG. Lens will therefore return to the Champions League after 21 years away. It was a feat achieved thanks to talented, determined players, among them captain Seko Fofana. Quiet at the start of the season, the Ivorian grew in influence. He was decisive in the key moments, notably when it came to knocking Marseille off second place. The Sang et Or captain has 7 goals and 5 assists in Ligue 1. Those performances also earned him a place in the team of the season.

4-Habib Diallo, the serial scorer

Habib Diallo had a very fine season. The Senegalese striker was the backbone of his club this season. Without his consistency and efficiency, Strasbourg would probably have been relegated to Ligue 2. The Senegalese striker was decisive at important moments. This season, Diallo also reached the 20-goal mark. That makes him the 6th top scorer in Ligue 1 in 2022-2023. He also becomes the 3rd Senegalese to reach 20 goals in a single Ligue 1 season, after Jules François Bocandé (23 goals in 1986) and Moussa Sow (25 goals in 2011). Better still, the Strasbourg striker became the first player to score three goals in the first minute in a single season. And to top it off, the former Metz man is the top African scorer of this French top-flight season. Simply huge!

5-Terem Moffi wins over Nice

Having joined Nice from Lorient, Terem Moffi quickly established himself in attack. He had also started well at Lorient this season, scoring 12 goals in 18 games. That earned him interest from both Marseille and Nice. After several twists and turns, the Nigerian chose Nice. And he has had a considerable impact on his new club. He scored six times for Nice in 16 games. His performances have even been praised by club legends. Jerôme Alonzo, Nice's former goalkeeper, says: “What is interesting about him is that he has added several strings to his bow since then. That now makes him the archetype of the striker who is a nightmare to play against because, facing goal or with his back to it, he has every weapon to shoot or beat you”. The Super Eagle will have scored 18 goals in total in the French league. He sits second in the ranking of Ligue 1's top African scorers with 20 goals, behind Habib Diallo's 20.