With 30% of the vote, the Algerian international is your Crédit Agricole Young Aiglon of the Year, ahead of Jean-Clair Todibo (25%) and Flavius Daniliuc (20%).

His way of playing could almost lead you to forget his age. Arriving in Nice in 2019, Hicham Boudaoui is still only 21 years and has two full seasons under his belt. Appearing on 29 occasions in 2020-21, the former Paradou man showed his quality to different extents in his first season at Nice. He predominantly played on the right wing during his first year on the Côte d’Azur, but Boudaoui moved more centrally as weeks went by. In a natural box-to-box role, or a newer one in front of the defence, Le Gym's number 28 showed the same technical ability, the same determination and the same quality with the ball at feet as he had done on the wing.

His commitment and self-sacrifice allowed him to cover vast amounts of ground. At the breakdown, his distribution and even his finishing. In 25 Ligue 1 matches, he scored three goals and picked up three assists. Despite injuries slowing him down, he hasn't stopped kicking on. At 21 years old, this is his second consecutive Young Aiglon the Year, which is added to his third place finish as Aiglon of the Year -  further testament to the youngster's progression.

Two defenders complete the podium

Jean-Clair Todibo takes home second place (25%). Alongside William Saliba, the player on loan from FC Barcelona arrived in the heart of the defence in the winter to stabilise a defence that had been weakened by Dante's injury. In Red and Black, Todibo accomplished his objective and put in consistent back-to-back performances. Le Gym became the club at which he has made most first team appearances in his brief career, which started at Toulouse in 2018 (17 matches in half a season, across all competitions). Solid, he also left a mark with his ability with the ball at his feet. A breaker of lines with his passing and his running, the 21 year old also caused problems in the opposition's third of the pitch. Against Montpellier, this attacking presence resulted in a goal, after a free-kick into the box from Alexis Claude-Maurice.

Behind Todibo, we find another defender on the third step of the podium. Arriving from Bayern without experience of top-flight football, Flavius Daniliuc impressed the fans (20%). In the heart of winter, he made 10 starts in Ligue 1 on the right of a back three. Although the arrivals of William Saliba and Jean-Clair Todibo in the winter changed the defensive dynamic, Daniliuc's qualities and ability to adapt allowed him to turn his hand to right back. From his first match in this position, the player who was also on the books of Real Madrid as a youngster, scored his first goal as a pro in a win over Rennes (1-2). After that six victories followed in the last 11 of the season, including 5 in which the Austrian featured.

From March, Le Gym's number five got his first taste of U21 international football and he was immediately named captain. In total, Flavius Daniliuc played 26 appearances across all competitions for Nice this season.

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