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Super Eagles star Moses Simon has been nominated for the prestigious Marc-Vivien Foe award for the best African player in the French Ligue 1.
The award is in honour of a former Cameroon player Marc-Vivien Foe, who died after collapsing on the pitch in 2003. He played for Lens and Lyon in the French League.
Simon has been a key player for Nantes this season with numerous match-winning performances for the club.
On Sunday, he was on target in the team’s 3-2 loss to Le Havre.
The Super Eagles winger will battle it out with the likes of Lamine Camara, Habib Diarra, Moussa Niakhaté, Evann Guessand, Hamed Junior Traoré, Yahia Fofana, Achraf Hakimi, Eliesse Ben Seghir, Amine Gouiri, Himad Abdelli, and Abdoulaye Touré for the award.
Vincent Enyeama was the first Nigerian player to win the award in 2014. Victor Osimhen also went home with the accolade in 2020 after his breakthrough season Lille.
Simon is the only Nigerian player nominated for the award after contributing seven goals, and eight assists for Nantes in 25 Ligue 1 appearances.
The award which was established in 2009 is one of the most coveted awards in the Ligue 1 which aims to recognise outstanding performances, impact on and off the pitch.
Gabonese forward Pierre Emerick Aubameyang won the award last season while he was playing for Marseille.
For a player to be eligible for nomination, the player must have represented an African national team, played at least 15 Ligue 1 matches, and not switched nationality during their career.
This year’s winner will be determined by a panel of specialised journalists, and the winner will be announced on May 12.
Simon has been nominated for the award four times he made the list in 2020, 2022, 2024.
The 29-year-old has been a key player for Nantes since joining the club in 2019. He has scored 25 goals and recorded 10 assists for the club in 145 appearances.
Simon made his Super Eagles debut in 2015 in an international friendly against Uganda under the tutelage of Daniel Amokachi. He has scored nine goals in 79 appearances for Nigeria.
