This is taken from the GFFN 100, our leading 150-page FREE publication ranking the best 100 players in France, see the full list and read every profile right here.
Traditionally one of France’s great clubs, Nantes have, in recent years, sometimes seemed more like a soap opera than a footballing outfit, their president’s idiosyncrasies meaning very little consistency from one season to the next. Over the last three to four years, Moses Simon has developed into one thing on which the fans can depend for entertainment and excitement, as a relief from the frustrations of being a Canaris fan.
From a young age, Simon was set for great things, moving from his native Nigeria to Ajax’s famed youth academy. He did not quite make the grade in Amsterdam and so moved to their partner club Trencin in Slovakia. Some impressive performances there on the way to helping them to win the domestic double reportedly drew the interest of Liverpool and Tottenham, but when he moved further west, it was eventually to Belgian club Gent.
Over three and a half characteristically inconsistent years with Gent, Simon amassed 21 goals and 18 assists, showing his versatility by starting in positions all over the final third of the pitch but most commonly as a second striker or his preferred role as an inverted winger, cutting inside from the left and onto his stronger right foot. However, his most productive time in Belgium was arguably his first half-season, during which he scored six goals in nine games to help secure the title, before setting up the winner in the Super Cup.
After an unsuccessful move to Levante, Simon found his way to Ligue 1 and, during his time on the west coast, has developed a reputation as an ‘Allan Saint-Maximin Light’ – sometimes maddeningly frustrating and anonymous, allergic to a serious defensive shift, but also capable of getting people up off their seats and coming up with some match-winning magic, through brilliant dribbling, a clever pass and an eye for a quality finish.
The Nigeria international (Everton’s FA Cup hero Daniel Amokachi gave him his debut) has had a busy 2022. Starting with a goal and an assist for Nigeria as they reached the last 16 of the AFCON, he went on to score four goals and make two more in Ligue 1 in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign, while also playing a major part as Nantes lifted the Coupe de France (it was his penalty that won the semi-final shoot-out vs Monaco). This season Nantes have, unsurprisingly, failed to build on last year’s Cup-generated momentum, but Simon has weighed in with five goals and two assists and is well set for his best-ever season statistically.
Sometimes brilliant, sometimes disappointing, always intriguing – perhaps Simon represents the Nantes of recent years better than most. For Canaris fans who have been so used to quality football over the years but starved of it in recent times, the flair and unpredictability that Simon brings at least gives them something to cheer.
Jeremy Smith | GFFN
Click Here: cheap Cowboys jersey