What is the Prix Marc-Vivien Foe?

The Prix Marc-Vivien Foe is a niche award in French football handed to the African player deemed to have performed the best over the previous Ligue 1 season. Established in 2009 by Radio France Internationale the prize was named after the late Marc-Vivien Foe who played for Lyon and Lens but died aged 28 whilst playing in an international match for Cameroon. The award has had many famed recipients, and there are many potential candidates to win it this season.

Today marks 21 years since the passing of Marc-Vivien Foé.

Never forgotten ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0E8PQqbNKV

— West Ham United (@WestHam) June 26, 2024

Who has previously won it?

Over the 16 seasons it has been active 14 players have won it from seven African nations. Both Gervinho and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang have won the award twice, Gervinho’s success came in back-to-back seasons for Lille between 2009 and 2011. There were 11 years between Aubameyang’s two award-winning seasons. The first came in 2012/13 when he scored 19 league goals for Saint-Etienne before he won it again last season at Marseille.

Ivory Coast players have won it a record five times due to Seko Fofana, Nicolas Pepe and Jean Michel Seri’s triumphs as well as the aforementioned Gervinho. Other notable winners include Victor Osimhen for his 2019/20 season with Lille, Karl Toko Ekambi for his 17-goal season with Angers in 2017/18, Sofiane Boufal (Lille 2015/16) and Andre Ayew (Marseille 2014/15).

🚨 OFFICIEL : Les 3 finalistes pour le prix du meilleur joueur africain en Ligue 1 cette saison, le prix Marc-Vivien Foé ! 🌍🇫🇷🥇

▫️Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 🇬🇦
▫️Nabil Bentaleb 🇩🇿
▫️Achraf Hakimi 🇲🇦 pic.twitter.com/DK9ZDLEQO4

— 🏆 Actu Foot Afrique (@ActuFootAfrique) May 2, 2024

The award is dominated by attackers and midfielders, Vincent Enyeama is the only goalkeeper to win it after he kept 21 clean sheets for Lille in the 2013/14 season. Chancel Mbemba became the first defender to win it in 2022/23 for his season at Marseille. Lille players have won the award on six occasions, three more than any other club, proving that the club utilise and nurtures African talent particularly well.

Which players are in contention for the award this season?

There are numerous candidates for this year’s award with many new names entering the hat. Achraf Hakimi has almost won the award on many occasions since he arrived at PSG in 2021 and was runner-up last year. Once again he should be nominated, especially if PSG go on to win Ligue 1, but as usual has he done enough to claim the award for himself?

OGC Nice’s Evann Guessand is a big shout for the prize. The forward has started up top in almost all of his club’s league games, scoring nine goals and assisting six times. With an additional goal in the Europa League, Guessand has brought success to Nice, with the Eagles sitting in third place, another factor supporting his case.

Striker watch 🔎

Evann Guessand - OGC Nice.

The 23 year old is really impressive. Scores a variety of goals, presses high, shrugs off defenders on the turn and runs at defences. Outside of the big name players he's had a good goal return so far. Bright future.

My top choice 💬 pic.twitter.com/LF3IJGEk6D

— 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐦 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 (@_WestHamReport) January 14, 2025

Nice have a second chance to win the award via Hicham Boudaoui, the Algerian has shown up in Nice’s midfield all season so far proving that it's not all about goal contributions. Instead impressing with his dribbling ability, vision and intricate passes.

Bournemouth loanee Hamed Junior Traore is another Ivorian having a stellar season for mid-table side AJ Auxerre, carrying his team with nine goals from an advanced midfield position. Along with Moses Simon of Nantes and Lamine Camara of Monaco as two other midfielders to throw in the mix.

HAMED. JUNIOR. TRAORÈ. ❤️‍🔥🇨🇮 pic.twitter.com/iy6FGvfk4m

— Ligue 1 McDonald's (@Ligue1) November 24, 2024

As previously mentioned the award is rarely given to keepers or defenders, with both positions receiving the prize once. If we are to see another anomalistic season though, Yahia Fofana has been the most outstanding keeper in the league eligible for the award. He has played every minute for Angers in Ligue 1 this season and is the third Ivorian player on this list.

Youssouf Ndayishimiye wouldn’t just become the second-ever defender to claim the prize, he would make history by becoming the first Burundian to do so. Nice’s third potential winner (giving the South French side a huge chance of receiving the accolade) has been another contributor to their strong Ligue 1 campaign this time from the backline.

The honour is a brilliant celebration of African footballers in France, Ligue 1 has more footballers from the continent than any other European league, with many growing up in France themselves. The ‘Prix’ also celebrates the life of Marc-Vivien Foe and is a superb motivator for those eligible each year.