One To Watch
Morgan Sanson: Nice's revenant midfielder
Morgan Sanson, so long an afterthought this season after a gruesome ankle injury has returned to OGC Nice's first team of late, and is helping to keep them in the race for the Champions League. Learn more about the veteran French midfielder in our latest profile.
Crucial goals in a close race
Can you guess the player with the best goals/minute ratio in Ligue 1 McDonald's? It's not top scorer Ousmane Dembélé, or AS Monaco's sensational winter signing Mika Biereth, but OGC Nice's veteran midfielder Morgan Sanson. With a goal every 59 minutes, his scoring has been decisive in recent wins over both Paris Saint-Germain and Stade de Reims, helping keep Les Aiglons well and truly in the mix for the Champions League with just two matches to play. Level with RC Strasbourg and LOSC Lille on 57 points in fourth, it's all to play despite Nice being a side which has struggled for goals. Having missed key attackers like Terem Moffi, Sofiane Diop and Jérémie Boga for large stretches of the season, Sanson's timely contributions have been massive -- and unlikely, given his difficult start to the season
Indeed, Sanson, who initially joined the Côte d'Azur club on loan last season, has struggled badly this season after suffering an injury to his ankle that saw not make his first appearance of the season until early April. For Sanson, who debuted in Ligue 1 with Montpellier before joining Marseille and then moving to English side Aston Villa in 2021, there were echoes of his time in Birmingham, where injuries largely kept him out of the first team picture, as he amassed just 21 Premier League appearances before spending time on loan with RC Strasbourg in 2022/23. Fit again in Alasace, he proved his value and happily joined an exciting Nice project permanently this summer, looking forward to becoming a key piece under the inventive Franck Haise.
⚽️ Scoring once again, @Morgan_Sanson8
is in @lequipe's Matchday 32 team of the week 😍#ogcnsdr pic.twitter.com/Wk9iyRBKez— OGC Nice 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@ogcnice_eng) May 5, 2025
A terrible injury
However, injury struck in preseason, where what was initially diagnosed as an ankle sprain turned out to be a far more serious problem. Later revealed to be a double fracture, Sanson wasn't so much as in Nice's squad until after the March international break. In these grim circumstances, Sanson, who candidly admitted to having struggled with depression while at Villa, telling l'Équipe, "Even your own family can't make you happy (in this state," remained positive, and approached his first start, against a full-strength PSG at the Parc des Princes, without hesitation.
After scoring only the second double of his career to beat the champions 3-1, Sanson was again among the goals to help his side beat Reims on Friday. With just Brest and Rennes to play in the next two rounds, Sanson says he is full of confidence and ready to help his side, saying of the present in light of his experience overcoming adversity, "I've never felt so good physically, because I know my body perfectly now. I'm starting to have a little experience, to know the 'shortcuts' on the pitch; I'm more accurate in my passing and runs." With Sanson adding his positivity and veteran nous, Nice will be sure to make sure the chase for the Champions League goes to the last kick of the season.
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