- France defender Mathieu Debuchy claimed February's edition of the Ligue 1 player of the month award
- He defeated Paris Saint Germain superstar Neymar to the award
- The former Arsenal defender scored twice and helped his side avoid defeat in the six games he has featured for the Greens since joining them in January
Saint-Etienne defender Mathieu Debuchy has been named the French Ligue 1 Player of the Month for the month of February.
The former Arsenal player was outstanding for his side in the month in review – beating contention from Paris Saint Germain’s Neymar, who has scored 19 goals in 20 games this season before being sidelined due to injury.
Having failed to impress at the Emirates Stadium, the 32-year-old had his contract terminated by the Gunners management in January – a move that saw him team up with the Greens as a free agent until the end of the current season.
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Mathieu Debuchy beats PSG star Neymar to February's Ligue 1 player of the month award
However, the Frenchman made history, as he became the first defender to have won the award in the last five years, and he is reportedly eyeing call up to the France national team for the 2018 FIFA World Cup side as a result of his recent performance.
He has helped the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard outfit avoid defeat in all the six appearances for the club since he joined during the winter transfer window, while scoring two goals in the process. One of them was the equalizer against Olympique Lyonnais away from home in late February fixture.
Meanwhile, the current most expensive footballer on the planet at the moment Neymar would be surprise the award eluded him, having being tipped to emerge winner for the outgone month.
Had he won it, it would have been his only individual award of the season after being ruled out for the remainder of the campaign due to an ankle injury he suffered against Marseille last month.
The Brazil international is still unsure of his future with the Parisians as Real Madrid have been hovering round the former Barcelona star, who is said to be unhappy with the Ligue 1 side after crashing out of the Champions League in the round of 16 this month.
According to report filtering the media space, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has travelled to Brazil in a bid to have a concrete agreement with his superstar over his dangling future just before he regains full fitness in a few months’ time.
Neymar underwent an ankle surgery earlier this month in his home town in Brazil to ensure he recovers early for the FIFA 2018 World Cup in Russia this summer.
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Source: Sports.naija.ng
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