The German Bundesliga's leading African strikers ended a memorable season in characteristic fashion last weekend, with Serhou Guirassy and Victor Boniface maintaining their scoring runs to reach 28 and 14 goals respectively .
Mohammed Kudus -- one of the Premier League's breakout stars -- meanwhile produced a magnificent bicycle-kick goal against Manchester City, and Idrissa Gueye and Yoane Wissa were also on target on the final day of the campaign.
Africans have been front and centre of the Bundesliga campaign, which came to a worthy conclusion last weekend.
Nigerian duo Boniface and Nathan Tella were influential during Bayer Leverkusen's first title-winning season, and Xabi Alonso's side achieved their next domestic objective in defeating FC Augsburg 2-1 to complete an unbeaten league campaign.
Boniface opened the scoring in the 12th minute, tapping the ball beyond Tomas Koubek after being picked out by Morocco's Amine Adli, one of the under-the-radar stars of this Leverkusen campaign. The Super Eagles striker hence finished the league season by scoring in three consecutive Bundesliga matches for the first time in his first term in the competition.
Boniface was named Bundesliga Rookie of the Season in a semi-public vote last week, following in the footsteps of Karim Adeyemi and Ousmane Dembélé while becoming the third African to clinch the prize after Silas Katompa Mvumpa and Amine Harit.
"Naija no dey carry last," the striker posted on his Twitter account after the match, a pidgin expression translating as "Nigerians only finish first," with a photo of him holding the Bundesliga shield.
9ja no dey carry last pic.twitter.com/wYPGlfIXm2
— Victor Boniface (@boniface_jrn) May 18, 2024
Burkina Faso's Edmond Tapsoba featured throughout Bayer's campaign, while Tella was an unused substitute against Augsburg as the champions finished the league season with 28 wins and six draws.
Leverkusen's sporting director, Simon Rolfes, praised Tella's contribution to Bayer's title-winning campaign.
"[Tella] was always ambitious to develop himself and also to give good energy to the team and towards the team," he said, per talkSPORT . "Now he's getting much more minutes than at the beginning of the season. That's also a success story for himself and also for the team."
Don't be surprised if Leverkusen's Naija stars find themselves at the heart of some transfer rumours this summer.
Boniface, in particular, has been linked with the likes of AC Milan, Chelsea and Juventus, and his fine campaign surely hasn't gone unnoticed among Europe's footballing royalty.
Guinea's Guirassy also enjoyed a breakout year, which concluded with his 27th and 28th Bundesliga goals to equal a league record.
The goals weren't enough for him to unseat Harry Kane as the year's Golden Boot winner, but the double did set VfB Stuttgart on their way to overtaking Bayern Munich -- themselves defeated 4-2 by Hoffenheim -- into second place in the table.
When he put the Swabians ahead in the 23rd minute, he became just the fourth player -- after Gerd Muller in 1970, Ailton in 2004, and Stefan Kiessling in 2013 -- to open the scoring in 12 matches in a Bundesliga season; no one has done this more often in a single campaign.
Guirassy's double, inside eight minutes in the first half, gave Stuttgart a commanding lead over Borussia Monchengladbach, and the West African then turned provider to set up Jeong Woo-Yeong for the hosts' third with 15 minutes to play.
Congo DR frontman Silas added a fourth for Stuttgart to take his Bundesliga tally for the season to five goals, equalling his haul for 2022-23.
Guirassy has also been linked with a move to AC Milan, among others, and a €17.5 million release clause could make him a realistic and appealing target for European sides hungry for a ready-made goal-getter.
"We aren't without hope," Stuttgart sporting director Fabian Wohlgemuth said when asked about his side's chances of keeping their star striker, per Stern. "After performances like this, the [other clubs'] desire [to sign Guirassy] probably won't be any less. The clause is there, and will attract attention, but we're working hard to show Serhou that his future can be bright with us."
The Guinean remains non-committal on his future, but strike partner Deniz Undav wouldn't begrudge his teammate a move.
"If you're such a forward and have such a low exit clause, it's clear that big clubs will be knocking," Undaz said, per Bild. "We shouldn't fool ourselves, he probably wants -- and will take -- the next step. However, maybe he has a good heart and will say: 'I want to play in the Champions League here for another season'."
Over to you, Serhou...
In the Premier League, Kudus netted one of Africa's finest goals of the campaign as he signed off on a season in which he's cemented himself as one of the top flight's 'must-watch' players.
Albeit coming during Manchester City's procession as they clinched their fourth consecutive title, Kudus netted a veritable Goal of the Season contender that showcased both his athleticism and his ingenuity.
With the ball bouncing in the City box from a James Ward-Prowse corner, the Ghana international hooked it out of the air, bringing it under control with his left foot with a deft flick, before pirouetting and sending a sublime overhead kick into the hosts' goal.
Ultimately, it wasn't enough for West Ham United to avoid defeat in manager David Moyes' final match at the helm, nor could it ensure too much last-day drama, but it was yet another reminder of the exquisite talent the Hammers' next boss -- Julen Lopetegui -- has at his disposal next term.
"Big credit to the manager, he has done a fantastic job," Kudus said after the match. "This is just the beginning. I've tested the waters now, and I'm ready to get it running for the next season."
Sky Sports pundit and long-term Kudus admirer Gary Neville, who named the Black Star as his Newcomer of the Season before the final day, also moved to praise the 23-year-old on Sunday.
"An incredible goal," Neville said. "It's similar to the Alejandro Garnacho goal at Everton. It's brilliant from Kudus."
Ultimately City's 3-1 victory was enough to secure them the league crown regardless of Arsenal's 2-1 win against Everton.
The Gunners were made to work for their final three points, with Senegal's Gueye sending Everton into the lead with a deflected free kick from range in the 40th minute.
It was the defensive midfielder's fourth goal of the season -- equalling his career-best return for a league campaign (2014-15 at Lille) -- and capped an excellent month for the veteran as he's played a key role in the Toffees' climb up the table.
He was also influential against Brentford in late April, scoring the goal that secured Everton's survival, and has duly been rewarded with a new contract at Goodison Park.
Brentford's Wissa is another player who has played his part in a successful battle against relegation, having come into his own during the final months of the season, even if the Bees will be disappointed with their 16th-place finish.
The Congo DR international scored eight goals in his final 13 league games of the season, including a fine curling effort against Newcastle United as the Londoners went down 4-2 on the final day.
Wissa's own eye-catching overhead kick -- against Chelsea in March -- also earned him the Brentford Goal of the Season award.