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At the end of the season, the Nice supporters were invited to vote for their Players of the Season. Walter Benitez received the most votes for the title of Crédit Agricole Aiglon of the 2018-19 Season, ahead of Youcef Atal and Dante, whilst Malang Sarr was awarded Young Player of the Season. Here, Patrick Vieira gives his view on the performances of these four members of his squad.

“Walter fills us with confidence“

“Walter was one of the artisans behind our 7th placed finish. Especially during the game at Lyon (0-1 victory) which allowed us to gain in lots of confidence. Walter is one of those goalkeepers who fills his teammates with confidence, in terms of his presence, his physical attributes, but also his ability to remain calm. We always say that in order to have a siccsssful team, you need a very good goalkeeper, an excellent defender, a midfielder and number nine. Unfortunately, we were lacking that number nine, because we had the keeper, Dante, and the number six  with Wyl' (Cyprien) or Adri (Tameze).”

“Youcef, a very nice surprise“

“Youcef was a very nice surprise. Against Guingamp (hat trick and 3-0 victory), he showed all of his desire and determination to be in the right place to bury the ball into the back of the net. He is ambitious, determined, someone who wants to progress. Working with him is a pleasure. He confirmed his potential, his determination. Against Paris (1-1), he had an excellent game in the second half, but also tactically he caused them problems with his defensive positioning. Youcef has huge potential.” 

“Dante, the example to follow” 

“Dante is an example to follow. He is the leader of this young squad. He is the first one to arrive for training and is the last one to leave. He loves football. I looked to him and Christophe Jallet to keep the squad focused this season. I hope he will stay at the club for as long as possible.”

The Young Player of the Season

 

“Malang stepped up”

​“Malang stepped up in terms of confidence, his tactics, although there is still a lot of work to be done. Working with him is a pleasure too. It’s interesting because we can have a constructive discussion together. That’s what I like a lot about him. Touch wood, but he is rarely injured, he plays games and trains one after the other. This award for Young Player of the Season is deserved.”

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