2018 Marc-Viviane Foe Prize: Karl Toko Ekambi Wins the Award.
The 25-year-old forward won the award after scoring 41 percent of his club’s total goals this season. His 17 goals currently keep him at the eighth spot on the list of highest goal scorers in the French league.
He beat top contenders Whabi Khazri of Stade Rennais from Tunisia’s, Bertrand Traore of FC Lyon from Burkina Faso, and Jean Michael Seri of Cote D’Ivorie who won the prize last year.
He becomes the first Cameroonian to win the prestigious award which honourslate Cameroonian and Manchester city midfielder, Marc-Viviane Foe, who collapsed and died on the pitch while representing his fatherland at the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.
Toko was delighted as he received the news of his triumph and he saluted the performance of the other players he beat in the race to the award.
“I’m proud to have won this title in front of players who play in big clubs in Ligue 1. I know them especially for playing against them. I do not know them personally. But I know that Bertrand Traore played in big clubs. He is young but he already has a good record and a lot of great clubs under his belt. Wahbi Khazri is a major player in the French Championship. It’s a big season too.
Toko told the co-organisers, the French radio station, RFI.Karl Toko Ekambi has been selected to play with the national team of Cameroon 17 times and netted two goals throughout this period. He was part of the Cameroon’s squad that won the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon and made the trip to Russia for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.
He started his professional football career with Paris FC in 2010 and later moved to Sochaux in 2014 before joining Angers in the summer of 2016.
Previous winners of the Marc-Vivien Foe trophy:
2017: Jean Michael Seri (Ivory Coast, Nice)
2016: Sofiane Boufal (Morocco/Lille)
2015: Andre Ayew (Ghana/Marseille)
2014: Vincent Enyeama (Nigeria/Lille)
2013: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Saint-Étienne)
2012: Younès Belhanda (Morocco/Montpellier)
2011: Gervinho (Ivory Coast/Lille)
2010: Gervinho (Ivory Coast/Lille)
2009: Marouane Chamakh (Morocco/Bordeaux)
Mbah Karam
