Five players for six months. All African, they marked the first six months of the football season. While the end of the first leg in the European championships has been established, or is about to be, a return to their prowess.
- Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the most effective attacker in Europe
At 30, the captain of the Panthers of Gabon, reconciled with his national team, remains one of the most effective attackers in Europe. This regularity which he had already displayed in Saint-Etienne and then at Borussia Dortmund has not been denied since he joined the Arsenal Gunners in January 2018.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been one of the few satisfactions since the start of the season, with a team that points to a disappointing ninth place – largely outdistanced by the big names in the Premier League. He has scored eleven of twenty-four goals for his side and, with such an effective striker, the Londoners can still hope to grab a place in the Europa League next season.
A competition in which Arsenal is still engaged, and where Aubemayang has improved its statistics by two additional achievements. Figures that have not escaped FC Barcelona which is, according to English media, interested in bringing the attacker to Catalonia this winter.
- Victor Osimhen, involved in half the goals of his club
Just a few weeks ago, a departure for the young Nigerian striker from Lille club in northern France next summer seemed almost certain. But Victor Osimhen, 20, bought 12 million euros in August in Wolfsburg (Germany), will not leave Ligue 1, "Even for 80 million euros", Gérard Lopez, president of LOSC, said, while some large European teams closely follow the striker’s performance.
The reasoning of the Lille leader is full of common sense: since his arrival in France, the Nigerian international (9 caps, 4 goals) has not disappointed. He scored nine goals, including seven in the first nine days, and delivered three assists. Osimhen is therefore involved in more than half of the goals scored by LOSC in the league, an assessment to which must be added the two achievements in the Champions League. And with his national selection, the striker shows the same efficiency.
- Dieumerci Mbokani, back in the foreground
Like Victor Osimhen, Jean-Pierre Nsamé and Sadio Mané, Dieumerci Mbokani was born in Africa (in Kinshasa) and played there before moving to Europe. At 34, the former scorer of Almighty Mazembe is not a young first, but he made the first part of the high-flying season in a Belgian championship deemed difficult. With Royal Antwerp, a club he joined in 2018, Mbokani settled in second place in the ranking, ahead of his former clubs Anderlecht and Standard de Liège, where he left a very strong imprint (four – total of thirteen goals).
He has already scored fifteen times in the Jupiler League. A return to the forefront that astonishes more than one: since he left Belgium in 2010, the Congolese has accumulated failed experiences, in France, in England or in Germany. In Flanders, Mbokani has once again become the goal scorer he once was. And again a member of his national selection.
- Sadio Mané, the 150 million euro player
Liverpool are well on their way to conquering their nineteenth English championship title, which Reds fans have been waiting for since 1990. If this prognosis is confirmed, Sadio Mané will have to play a role in it. At 26, the fourth in the last Ballon d'Or seems to be part of his performance last season. Since the resumption of the Premier League, the Senegalese has honored his status, scoring nine times and distilling six assists. His involvement in his team’s offensive strike force, along with Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, is undeniable.
With its two Africans, Liverpool is not only aiming for a title of champion of England: the English club, which won the Champions League in June, aims to keep it. In this competition too, Mané has already made the talk, with two goals. In 2020, he is expected to be a candidate for the Golden Ball again. Faced with the likely offensive of major European teams, will the Liverpool club be able to keep its prodigy, whose value is estimated at 150 million euros? Paris-Saint-Germain has already positioned itself on the dossier.
- Jean-Pierre Nsamé, star of the next transfer window
His performances with the club of the Swiss federal capital, whether in the league or on the continental scene, could make Jean-Pierre Nsamé, 26, one of the attractions of the next summer transfer window. Leaders of the Super League, which they won in May, the Young Boys Bern are well on their way to reoffending. And the Cameroonian, who has already scored fifteen goals (plus six in the Europa League) will be one of the main players. A nice revenge for the native of Douala, trained in Angers, and who, before revealing himself in one of the best Swiss clubs, had played in Carquefou and Amiens, respectively in National 1 (D3) and in Ligue 2, contenting themselves with five Ligue 1 matches with Angers.
It was at Servette de Genève, then boarder of the Swiss Ligue 2 in 2016-2017, that Nsamé, author of twenty-three goals, drew the attention of Bernese recruiters, who do not regret the investment made. But curiously, the striker has only been called twice to the Indomitable Lions since the end of 2017. The last time was in November, but without being a first choice.
The statistics were stopped on December 16.
