The Ebony Shoe award (Dutch: Ebbenhouten schoen, French: Soulier d'ébène[1]) is a football award in Belgium given annually to the best African or African origin player in the Belgian Pro League. The jury is composed of the coaches of league clubs, the Belgium national team manager, sport journalists, and one or more honorary jurors.[2]

Moroccan Mbark Boussoufa won the Ebony Shoe a record three times

As of 2020, Mbark Boussoufa (3 wins), Daniel Amokachi (2 wins), Vincent Kompany (2 wins) and Dieumerci Mbokani (2) are the only players to have won the trophy more than once.

Winners edit

Year Winner Second Third
Player Club Player Club Player Club
1992   Daniel Amokachi (NGA) Club Brugge only the winner declared
1993   Victor Ikpeba (NGA) RFC Liège   Chidi Nwanu (NGA) Beveren   Daniel Amokachi (NGA) Club Brugge
1994   Daniel Amokachi (NGA) Club Brugge   Jean-Jacques Missé-Missé (CMR) Charleroi   Roger Lukaku (ZAI) Seraing
1995   Godwin Okpara (NGA) Eendracht Aalst   Celestine Babayaro (NGA) Anderlecht   Yaw Preko (GHA) Anderlecht
1996   Celestine Babayaro (NGA) Anderlecht   Michel Ngonge (ZAI) Harelbeke   Jean-Claude Mukanya (ZAI) Lommel
1997   Émile Mpenza (BEL) ( ) Mouscron   Mbo Mpenza (BEL) ( ) Mouscron   Khalilou Fadiga (SEN) Lommel
1998   Eric Addo (GHA) Club Brugge   Souleymane Oularé (GUI) Genk   Khalilou Fadiga (SEN) Club Brugge
1999   Souleymane Oularé (GUI) Genk only the winner ranked; the rest of the top 5 unordered (Fadiga, Keita, É. Mpenza and M. Mpenza)
2000   Hervé Nzelo-Lembi (COD) Club Brugge   Elos Elonga-Ekakia (COD) Anderlecht   Souleymane Youla (GUI) Lokeren
2001   Mido (EGY) Gent   Hervé Nzelo-Lembi (COD) Club Brugge   Adékambi Olufadé (TOG) Lokeren
2002   Moumouni Dagano (BFA) Genk   Sambégou Bangoura (GUI) Lokeren   Ibrahim Kargbo (SLE) RWDM
2003   Aruna Dindane (CIV) Anderlecht   Sambégou Bangoura (GUI) Lokeren   Paul Kpaka (SLE) Germinal Beerschot
2004   Vincent Kompany (BEL) ( ) Anderlecht   Aruna Dindane (CIV) Anderlecht   Mbo Mpenza (BEL) ( ) Mouscron
2005   Vincent Kompany (BEL) ( ) Anderlecht   Sambégou Bangoura (GUI) Standard Liège   Aruna Dindane (CIV) Anderlecht
2006   Mbark Boussoufa (MAR) Gent   Ibrahim Salou (GHA) Zulte Waregem   Mohammed Tchité (BDI) Standard Liège
2007   Mohammed Tchité (BDI) Anderlecht   Ahmed Hassan (EGY) Anderlecht   Adékambi Olufadé (TOG) Gent
2008   Marouane Fellaini (BEL) ( ) Standard Liège   Mbark Boussoufa (MAR) Anderlecht   Mohamed Sarr (SEN) Standard Liège
2009   Mbark Boussoufa (MAR) Anderlecht   Copa (CIV) Lokeren   Nana Asare (GHA) Mechelen
2010   Mbark Boussoufa (MAR) Anderlecht   Romelu Lukaku (BEL) ( ) Anderlecht   Dorge Kouemaha (CMR) Club Brugge
2011   Romelu Lukaku (BEL) ( ) Anderlecht   Mohammed Tchité (BDI) Standard Liège   Mehdi Carcela (MAR) Standard Liège
2012   Dieumerci Mbokani (COD) Anderlecht   Cheikhou Kouyaté (SEN) Anderlecht   Mohammed Tchité (BDI) Standard Liège
2013[3]   Mbaye Leye (SEN) Zulte Waregem   Cheikhou Kouyaté (SEN) Anderlecht   Dieumerci Mbokani (COD) Anderlecht
2014[4]   Michy Batshuayi (BEL) ( ) Standard Liège   Hamdi Harbaoui (TUN) Lokeren   Paul-Jose M'Poku (BEL) ( ) Standard Liège
2015[5]   Neeskens Kebano (COD) Charleroi   Moses Simon (NGA) Gent   Chancel Mbemba (COD) Anderlecht
2016   Sofiane Hanni (ALG) Mechelen   Nana Asare (GHA) Gent   Frank Acheampong (GHA) Anderlecht
2017   Youri Tielemans (BEL) ( ) Anderlecht   Landry Dimata (BEL) ( ) Oostende   Sofiane Hanni (ALG) Anderlecht
2018   Anthony Limbombe (BEL) ( ) Club Brugge   Mehdi Carcela (MAR) Standard Liège   Ibrahima Seck (SEN) Genk
2019[6]   Mbwana Samatta (TAN) Genk only the winner ranked; the rest of the top 5 unordered (Boli, Carcela, Dimata and Groeneveld)
2020[7]   Dieumerci Mbokani (DRC) Antwerp   Clinton Mata (ANG) Club Brugge   Simon Deli (CIV) Club Brugge
2021[8]   Paul Onuachu (NGA) Genk   Clinton Mata (ANG) Club Brugge   Théo Bongonda (BEL) ( ) Genk
2022[9]   Tarik Tissoudali (MAR) Gent   Paul Onuachu (NGA) Genk   Joshua Zirkzee (NED) ( ) Anderlecht
2023[10]   Mike Trésor (BEL) ( ) Genk   Victor Boniface (NGA) Union SG   Gift Orban (NGA) Gent

Breakdown of winners edit

By country of origin edit

Country Number of wins Winning years
  Democratic Republic of the Congo
11
1997, 2000, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020
  Nigeria
6
1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2021
  Morocco
5
2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2022
  Burundi
2
2007, 2023
  Ghana
1
1998
  Guinea
1
1999
  Egypt
1
2001
  Burkina Faso
1
2002
  Ivory Coast
1
2003
  Senegal
1
2013
  Algeria
1
2016
  Tanzania
1
2019

By club edit

Club Number of wins Winning years
Anderlecht
10
1996, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2017
Club Brugge
5
1992, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2018
Genk
5
1999, 2002, 2019, 2021, 2023
Gent
3
2001, 2006, 2022
Standard Liège
2
2008, 2014
RFC Liège
1
1993
Eendracht Aalst
1
1995
Mouscron
1
1997
Zulte Waregem
1
2013
Charleroi
1
2015
Mechelen
1
2016
Antwerp
1
2020

References edit

  1. ^ "premier trophée pour les Zèbres --"L'Avenier"". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-05-13.
  2. ^ https://www.soulierdebene.be/
  3. ^ "Mbaye Leye wint de Ebbenhouten Schoen" (in Dutch). sporza.be. 13 May 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  4. ^ "Michy Batshuayi krijgt de Ebbenhouten Schoen" (in Dutch). sporza.be. 5 May 2014. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015.
  5. ^ "Neeskens Kebano wint de Ebbenhouten Schoen" (in Dutch). sporza.be. 11 May 2015.
  6. ^ "Tanzania's Mbwana Samatta wins Belgium's Ebony Shoe award". 7 May 2019 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
  7. ^ "Antwerp-spits Dieumerci Mbokani wint de Ebbenhouten Schoen". 1 June 2020 – via sporza.be.
  8. ^ "No Mbokani: Ebony Shoe will see new name on honour roll". 21 May 2021 – via sporza.be.
  9. ^ "Tarik Tissoudali bekroont ijzersterk seizoen met Ebbenhouten Schoen" [Tarik Tissoudali crowns strong season with Ebony Shoe]. 19 May 2022 – via sporza.be.
  10. ^ "Genkse assistkoning Mike Trésor is nieuwe Ebbenhouten Schoen, Boniface en Orban mee op podium" [Genk assistking Mike Trésor is new Ebony Shoe, Boniface and Orban also on podium]. 22 May 2023 – via sporza.be.