Mali: Lens and Mali Midfielder Sangaré Wins Marc-Vivien Foé Prize for African Players

Malian midfielder Mamadou Sangaré has been crowned the 2026 Prix Marc-Vivien Foé winner, as Ligue 1's outstanding African player.

The 23-year-old midfielder, who plays for Lens, is the first Malian to lift the award since it was established in 2009 in honour of Cameroon's Marc-Vivien Foé, who died in June 2003 after collapsing during a Confederations Cup match between Cameroon and Colombia in Lyon.

Sangaré succeeds Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco defender Achraf Hakimi.

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Monaco and Senegal midfielder Lamine Camara was the runner-up, while Lyon and Senegal defender Moussa Niakhaté took third place.

Born in the Malian capital Bamako, Sangaré came through the youth ranks at hometown club Yeelen Olympique, before moving in 2020 to Austrian Bundesliga side RB Salzburg.

Still only 18, he was immediately loaned to second-tier outfit FC Liefering before further spells at Grazer AK, Belgian club Zulte Waregem and TSV Hartberg.

At the end of the 2023-24 campaign, Rapid Vienna signed him for €700,000. A year later, the Austrian side made a sizeable profit when Lens paid €8 million for the midfielder.

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"He made an immediate impact in Lens," said Hervé Penot, an analyst on RFI's Radio Foot Internationale.

"He settled in straight away and became one of the key players, if not the key player. He quickly showed that he was in a league of his own. His teammates immediately saw that he had something special."

After appearances for the Mali under-20 and under-23 sides, Sangaré received his first call-up for the senior squad in August 2024, during the qualifiers for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Since his international debut on 6 September, 2024 in a 1-1 draw against Mozambique, 14 more caps have followed under former head coach Tom Saintfiet.

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Sangaré was a mainstay of Saintfiet's midfield during Mali's surge to the last eight at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, when they lost to Senegal.

He retuned from Morocco in January to reclaim his place in the Lens midfield and energise the club's drive for a first Ligue 1 title since 1998.

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Should they fail to prise the Ligue 1 title away from defending champions Paris Saint-Germain, Lens will at least secure a place in the group stage of the 2026-27 Champions League.

There also remains the prospect of silverware in the Coupe de France. Pierre Sage's men face Nice in the final on 22 May at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis.

Read or Listen to this story on the RFI website.

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