By Mamadou Thiam
The curtains have been drawn on the European leagues and it is time to take stock with the superlative contributions of African footballers in focus. The season has been breathtaking.
However, whether in Spain, England, Italy, France or Germany, football stars from the continent have once again shone on the pitch making their mark with their respective clubs.
RIYAD MAHREZ
The English championship has ended with the crowning of Manchester City. The Algerian international, who scored 10 goals and made ten assists in all matches, played a significant role in his side's triumph.
After arriving at the club in 2018, Riyad Mahrez won his fourth league title with City and his fifth in England. He had won the league in 2016 with Leicester.
VICTOR OSIMHEN
Napoli clinched their third Italian league title, more than 30 years after winning the two previous ones during the period of Diego Armando Maradona (1987 and 1990).
The Italian club's return to the top flight was spurred on by a host of talented players, including Victor Osimhen, a Nigerian international star.
Osimhen tackled every obstacle in his path. The skillful striker helped his club, scoring 31 goals, including 26 in the league - making him Serie A's top scorer ahead of Lautaro Martinez who scored 21 goals.
The Lagos-born striker also took advantage of the season to once again display his talent becoming the top African scorer in Serie A’s history with 50 goals, ahead of breaking the record of other African greats George Weah and Samuel Eto'o during their career.
FRANCK KESSIE
Having been knocked out of the Champions League, FC Barcelona took some consolation in La Liga. Buoyed by Polish striker Robert Lewandowski who scored 34 goals in 50 games, the club won their first Spanish league title under Xavi Hernandez.
Franck Kessié, who joined the club from AC Milan, made a valuable contribution to his team's triumph. The Côte d'Ivoire international midfielder played a total of 50 games in all competitions, scoring three (3) goals and providing three (3) assists.
SADIO MANE
Bayern Munich's most unlikely title in the Bundesliga was partly due to Mane’s role. The Bavarian giants were in an awkward position going into the final match day, having to win in the city of Cologne and hope that archrivals Dortmund slip up. In front of their home fans at Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund needed a win to end the suspense.
But Mainz made things difficult for the home side, forcing a 2-2 draw. In Cologne, Bayern did the job in the dying moments of the game (1-2) to claim the title.
In his first season in Germany, Sadio Mané won the title after a turbulent season for the Senegalese star given his collision with Leroy Sané, leading to his suspension and fining.
The striker who was sidelined for a long time by an injury that kept him out of the World Cup, scored 13 goals in 39 games and provided seven assists.
CHOUPO-MOTING AND MAZRAOUI
It is also the first Bundesliga title for Noussair Mazraoui. After arriving from Ajax, the Moroccan played 28 games in his first season in Bavarian colours, scoring one goal and providing four assists.
Although he has not played much this season, Senegal's Bouna Sarr (only 1 game played) is on the list of champions.
This is similar to the case of Cameroon's Éric Maxime Choupo-Moting who helped his side, Bayern Munic, to win the title with 17 goals and four assists in 30 games in all competitions.
ACHRAF HAKIMI
PSG ended the 2022-2023 season with a 2-3 defeat at home to Clermont. But Achraf Hakimi was not to be denied, as he was crowned French champion with the capital club. It is the second league title for the Moroccan, who joined the club in 2021.
Having enjoyed a successful World Cup with Morocco, the right-back player played 45 games, scoring five goals and providing six assists.
Sacha Boey
In Turkish Supa Lig, Galatasaray, won the title with substantial contribution by Franco-Cameroonian Sacha Boey. The 22-year-old defender played 38 matches, scoring one goal and providing four assists.
