Vincent Enyeama is the first Nigerian, the first goalkeeper and first player from English-speaking Africa to be named France’s Ligue 1 African player of the season.
The Super Eagles’ vice-captain has played all 37 championship games for his club Lille this season, conceding just 25 goals.
The 31-year-old, at one point this season – which comes to an end next weekend – went 1,062 minutes without conceding a goal in the championship.
He won the Marc-Vivien Foe award – named after the Cameroon international midfielder who died aged 28 of a heart attack during the 2003 Confederations Cup semi-final – ahead of Ivory Coast defender Serge Aurier, who plays for Toulouse, and Lyon’s Cameroon defender Henri Bedimo.
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Enyeama, who captained Nigeria to Africa Cup of Nations success last year, succeeds Borussia Dortmund’s Gabonese international striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who won it after a successful season with Saint-Etienne last season.
The award is voted on by 60 journalists from all branches of media and is co-sponsored by Radio France Internationale (RFI) and France24 TV news channel.
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