Best African player of French Ligue 1: Ryad Boudebouz among finalists

Algerian midfielder Ryad Boudebouz (Montpellier) and Ivory Coast midfielder Jean Michaël Seri (Nice), two of the best playmakers of the French championship, are among the finalists of the Marc-Vivien Foé award for the best African player of French Ligue 1, according to the list unveiled Monday by RFI and France 24.

The prize will be awarded on 15 May after the vote of some 100 journalists specializing in French and African football.
With Nice, 3rd in L1, Seri has delivered 9 assists this season against 8 for Boudebouz. Other candidates for the award include Beninese striker Steve Mounié, who scored 13 goals with Montpellier and Lorient’s Benjamin Moukandjo of Cameroon, who has twelve times scored twice.
Ivory Coast defender Serge Aurier (PSG), Moroccan midfielder Younès Belhanda (Nice), Senegalese striker Famara Diedhiou (Angers), Cameroon striker Karl Toko Ekambi (Angers), Guinean striker François Kamano Angers midfielder Cheikh Ndoye, Ivorian striker Rovi Giovanni Sio, Cape Verdean Julio Tavares (Dijon striker) and Burkina Faso defender Steeve Yago (Toulouse) are also among the 13 finalists.
Younès Belhanda had already obtained the trophy in 2012, the year of the Ligue 1 championship title won by Montpellier, his team of the time.
In 2016, it was Moroccan midfielder Sofiane Boufal who was crowned for his good performances with Lille.
Since 2011, the trophy of the best African player of French Ligue 1 bears the name of Marc-Vivien Foé in tribute to the late Cameroonian player who died on June 26, 2003 on the pitch of the stadium Gerland in Lyon, following a heart attack.
List of 13 candidates:
Riad Boudebouz (Algeria / Montpellier)
Serge Aurey (Côte d’Ivoire / Paris Saint-Germain)
Younis Belhanda (Morocco / Nice)
Vmara Didiu (Senegal / Onge)
Carl Toko Ekambi (Cameroon / Angers)
François Camano (Guinea / Bordeaux)
Benjaman Mukandjo (Cameroon / Lorient)
Steve Monnet (Boys / Montpellier)
Sheikh Ndoui (Senegal / Angers)
Jean Mickael Seri (Côte d’Ivoire / Nice)
Giovanni Seo (Côte d’Ivoire / Rennes)
Julio Tavarez (Cape Verde / Dijon)
Steve Yago (Burkina Faso / Toulouse)