Ivory Coast midfielder Seko Fofana has been named the winner of the Marc-Vivien Foe Award for the African Player of the Year in the French Ligue 1.
The award organised by France 24 and Radio France International (RFI) is given to the best player of African descent who represents an African country and has played at least 15 matches in France's top-flight football league that season.
Super Eagles forward Moses Simon was one of the 12 nominees for the 2021/22 prize, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Vincent Enyeama (2014) and Victor Osimhen (2020) as the only Nigerians to have won the award.
Seko Fofana beats Moses Simon, Achraf Hakimi, Idrissa Gueye to the Marc-Vivien Foe Award
Amongst a 12-man shortlist consisting of Paris Saint-Germain's Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi, Lyon's Cameroonian forward Karl Toko Ekambi, and Nice's Gabonese midfielder Mario Lemina, Seko Fofana was chosen as the winner of the 2022 Marc Vivien Foe Award.
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Announcing the winner through a post on their website, France 24 stated that the RC Lens captain was given the award for his impact with the club since he signed for a club-record fee of €10m in 2020.
France 24 described Fofana as such: "A sharp and decisive player, the 27-year-old Ivorian has established himself as an indispensable player for his club and one of the most successful players in the French top flight.
"Fofana has played a vital role in RC Lens’s rise to prominence – reaching 7th place in Ligue 1 this season just two years after getting promoted.
"The Ivorian star has lived up to his early promise, scoring 8 goals in 35 league games in 2021-22."
Fofana is the fourth Ivorian to win the award after Gervinho in 2010 and 2011, Jean Michael Seri in 2017, and Nicholas Pepe in 2019.
Profile of RC Lens, Seko Fofana
Fofana was born in Paris, coming through the ranks at local club Paris FC before moving on to Lorient's Academy and then the Manchester City Academy in 2013.
The Ivorian defender failed to make the grade at City despite being trained by the legendary Patrick Vieira, ultimately bouncing around with clubs like Fulham, Bastia, and Udinese before signing for Lens in 2020.
Since signing for Lens, the Ivorian midfielder has tallied 12 goals and six (6) assists in 72 appearances for the mid-table Ligue 1 side.
His performances have drawn rave reviews and admiring glances from bigger clubs in the league with a move to one of the Champions League clubs in the French Ligue 1 already mooted.