‘Simon, Akor and Orban will be key to the success of their clubs’

Nigerian players have shone brightest among the African players playing in the Ligue 1 this season and the organizers of the competition have marked the trio of Moses Simon, Akor Adams and Gift Orban as potential keys to the success of their clubs.

The website of the governing body for France’s topflight league reviews the performances of the Nigerians thus:

Moses Simon (FC Nantes)

FC Nantes are the surprise team through three matchdays in Ligue 1 as Les Canaris are unbeaten and have secured seven points. Nantes drew on Matchday 1 against Toulouse and have won their last two matches.

One player that has stood out in this early success is Moses Simon as the 29-year-old has scored in Nantes’ last two wins with a goal against AJ Auxerre in the 14th minute and on a penalty kick this past weekend in the victory over Montpellier. If Nantes want to continue to be the surprise team this season, Simon will play a significant part.

Gift Orban (Lyon)

Orban made his 2024-25 season debut in the match against Strasbourg as the 22-year-old was on the bench for the contest versus Stade Rennais but didn’t feature in the game.

The forward came off the bench in last week’s game, playing 31 minutes, but more importantly, scored the game-tying goal in the 63rd minute and the game-winning goal in the 73rd minute as Lyon overcame a 3-1 deficit to secure a 4-3 victory, earning Man of the Match in the process.

Akor Adams (Montpellier)

The 24-year-old has played in all three matches for La Paillade, starting two and has had an impact in both matches when in the starting 11. On Matchday 1 against Strasbourg, Adams won the penalty that led to the game-tying goal to secure the 1-1 draw.

On Matchday 3, Adams again made an impact, scoring the game-tying goal to make it 1-1 against FC Nantes in the first half, but his efforts weren’t enough as Montpellier fell 3-1. Even though Montpellier have struggled this season, Adams has played well.