Meet the African player of the year in France

The biggest (positive) surprise this season in Ligue 1 was Lens. The club from the north of France will finish second but was a contender for the title at one point and even hold the first place. Coach Pierre Sage made an excellent job with his players and among them one name stands above all - Mamadou Sangare. The Malian international had a great season and won this year’s Marc-Vivien Foe award, which means he is officially the best African player in Ligue 1 for 2026. The Lens midfielder had 313 points, ahead of the Senegalese duo Lamine Camara ( AS Monaco ) and Moussa Niakhate ( Olympique Lyonnais ), who received 94 and 84 points respectively. Burkina Faso goalkeeper Herve Koffi (SCO Angers) narrowly missed out on a podium finish for this year’s award which is given every year by RFI and France 24.

Sangare was reasonable happy with the rewards, especially since he is the first Malian player to be on the podium.

"I'm happy to have won this trophy. I had a good season. It was made easier thanks to my teammates who supported me from day one. So it's a great source of pride for me to win this award after all the hard work I've put in this season. Winning this award shows that you're doing good things, that you're working well. It's also the result of teamwork. Winning this trophy also proves that I've reached a new level, and I hope it will continue this way" he said.

Sangare was also praised by his coach.

"He's a generous player. But not just in terms of effort. He's generous with football. He lives up to the expectations of those who come to the stadium: scoring beautiful goals, showing solidarity with his teammates… He fits the Lens style of play, but he highlights all his talent in service of the team. That's what I call a team player" said Pierre Sage.

RC Lens have every reason to be happy with this reward, but they are somehow used to it, since Sangare is the third player in this club to claim the Marc-Vivien Foe award. Before him, Gael Kakuta and Seko Fofana also got it while playing with Lens. Sangare started his career at Yeelen Olympique in Mali, before signing with Austria’s Red Bull Salzburg who sold him to Rapid Vienna. Eventually, Lens bough him for eight million euros but could earn a lot more from his sale. It is estimated that the regular Mali international is worth around 40 million euros, and clubs like Liverpool and Chelsea showed interest in a player who is tied with Lens until 2030.