Odilon Kossounou: Bayer Leverkusen Defender Named Ivory Coast Player of the Year

• Odilon Kossounou has been awarded with the prize for the best Ivorian player in the 2023/24 season
• The Bayer Leverkusen defender was the most successful Ivorian player after winning the double in Germany
• He was also part of the national team as they won the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast early this year

Bayer Leverkusen star, Odilon Kossounou, has been named the best Ivorian player in the 2023/24 season following his exploits with his national team and the Bundesliga club.

Kossounou starred as the Elephants won the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations on home soil earlier this year.

He returned to Germany to play a pivotal role as Bayer Leverkusen made history by winning their first-ever league title before adding the DFB Pokal to their laurels in the just-ended campaign.

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The Ivorian formed a solid partnership in defence with Burkina Faso's Edmond Tapsoba and Germany's Jonathan Tah as Leverkusen lost only one game the entire season.

At a ceremony held in Abidjan, the centre-back received his award as the best Ivorian player plying his trade abroad in the season in retrospect.

"Honored and proud to receive the award for the best Ivorian player of the year," he wrote on social media.

Meanwhile, the coveted award has been won by several legendary Ivorian players including four-time CAF Footballer of the Year, Yaya Toure.

His performances last season has seen him attract interest from Premier League side West Ham United, as reported by Yahoo Sports.

Kossounou's success last season boosted his chances of ending up on the podium for the CAF Player of the Year award.

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African players make history with Leverkusen

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Kossounou and four other African players have made history with German club Bayer Leverkusen.

The African quintet starred as Bayer Leverkusen won their first-ever Bundesliga title last season before adding the DFB Pokal in the final game of the campaign.

Leverkusen also became the first German team to go an entire season unbeaten and lost only one game in all competitions, which was the final of the Europa League.