Former Super Eagles skipper, Vincent Enyeama, has been nominated for UNFP French Ligue 1’s Goalkeeper of the Year award.
The UNFP is an annual accolade that recognises the most outstanding goalie in France at the end of a given season as voted for by players.
Enyeama, 33, is shortlisted for the second time in three years after narrowly losing out to Paris Saint-Germain’s Salvatore Sirigu in 2014.
The Lille shot-stopper battles current PSG No 1, Kevin Trapp, Marseille’s Steve Mandanda as well as Anthony Lopes of Lyon for the safest pair of hands in France.
Despite a below-par start to the season which saw the Les Dogues languish at the foot of the log, Enyeama was consistent behind the sticks for Frédéric Antonetti’s team.
The Nigerian single-handedly elevated the struggling side to sixth on the log with 16 clean sheets in 36 games with the most recent coming against Angers on Wednesday.
Enyeama, who abruptly quit the Eagles in rather controversial circumstance in 2015, never allowed his international setback affect his form with Lille.
The goalkeeper who is the sixth best in Europe according to CIES Football Observatory group, fell in the final of the French League Cup to PSG last week.
For the Player of the Year category, PSG duo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Angel Di Maria will slug it out against French duo, Hatem Ben Arfa and Lassana Diarra.
Their coach, Laurent Blanc, winner of the Coach of the Year award last season, has been nominated for this year’s prize along with Claude Puel of Nice, Stephane Moulin of Angers and Gazelec Ajaccio coach Thierry Laurey.
The UNFP, France’s professional footballers’ union, will announce the winners at a ceremony on May 8.
