By Oluwadamilola Olaleye
Nigerian defender Chidozie Awaziem has risen to the top of Ligue 1’s defensive charts this season, registering 128 successful defensive actions across the opening 12 matchdays—the highest of any player in the French top flight.
The tally, drawn from Opta data, covers key metrics including duels won, interceptions, tackles, clearances, and other crucial defensive interventions, highlighting Awaziem’s exceptional consistency and work rate.
A major contributor to his league-leading total is his remarkable 101 clearances, placing him significantly ahead of close competitors such as Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell and Nice’s Antoine Mendy.
Awaziem’s form has been one of the few positives for FC Nantes during a challenging spell, with the Super Eagles centre-back frequently emerging as the team’s most reliable performer.
He is also now the second most-used player under manager Luis Castro, behind only captain Kelvin Amian.
His dominance across multiple defensive metrics has firmly established him as Ligue 1’s most effective defender so far this campaign.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
