Aubameyang: Gabon Striker Named Ligue 1 African Player of the Year

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been named the best African player in France
• The ex-Arsenal and Chelsea striker beat Achraf Hakimi to the prestigious award
• Aubameyang returned to Marseille last summer after struggling with Chelsea FC

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Olympique Marseille has won the Marc-Vivien Foe award for the best African footballer in the French league for the 2023/24 season.

The Gabonese striker, who only returned to France last summer after a disappointing spell with Chelsea last season, has been one of the standout stars in Ligue 1 this campaign.

According to Get Football, Aubameyang becomes only the third Marseille player to win the accolade after Ghana’s André Ayew in the 2014/15 season and DR Congo’s Chancel Mbemba in the previous campaign.

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The former Arsenal and Barcelona forward scored 252 points in the voting, ahead of Paris Saint-Germain's Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi (136 points) and Lille's Algerian midfielder Nabil Bentaleb (112 points).

The yearly award is given to the best African player in Ligue 1 in memory of Marc-Vivien Foe, a former Olympique Lyonnais and RC Lens midfielder who died after collapsing during a Confederations Cup match between Cameroon and Colombia.

How Aubameyang performed in France

Aubameyang finished this campaign as Africa’s highest goalscorer in Ligue 1 ahead of Moroccan’s Wissam Ben Yedder after netting 16 goals in the French topflight for Marseille per ESPN.

The 34-year-old forward has also scored 29 goals in all competitions and finished as the top scorer in the Europa League despite being knocked out in the semi-finals of the tournament.

Aubameyang is receiving the Best Africa Footballer in Ligue 1 award for the second time after he first won the award in 2013 with Saint-Etienne.

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Aubameyang tipped for CAF award

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Aubameyang is one of the leading candidates for the 2024 Africa Footballer of the Year award after an outstanding season in France.

The Gabonese forward, who is in the top four in the power rankings, will contend for the award alongside Ademola Lookman, Victor Boniface, and Mohamed Salah.

Lookman has had a stellar year to remember as the Nigerian forward played a key role in the Super Eagles' success at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.