Player sold by Nottingham Forest in 2022 gets recognition at Ballon d’Or ceremony

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Nottingham Forest allowed Brice Samba to leave the club in the summer of 2022 and last night he earned recognition at the Ballon d’Or. The goalkeeper has enjoyed a stellar year and a bit with Lens and he’s now among the best.

Samba was instrumental as Forest won promotion to the Premier League. He was truly heroic as the Reds defeated Sheffield United in a two-legged play-off semi-final but he wanted to leave after promotion.

Last season he helped Lens put up a title challenge and they reached the Champions League group stages. This season he has stepped up to captain the team and Forest might be regretting not trying harder to keep Samba.

Goalkeeper gets Ballon d’Or recognition after leaving Forest

Last night, Samba was present at the Ballon d’Or ceremony and he saw his name in lights. He was named as the tenth-best goalkeeper in world football, with Emi Martinez collecting the Lev Yashin Award for the best in the world.

Samba joined several top-quality goalkeepers on the list and he will be very proud of this accolade. As an ambitious individual, he will want to try and finish higher on that list next year.

Samba was worshipped by the Forest fan base during his three years at the club. He made 133 appearances for the football club and his antics often saw him get some laughs out of the Reds fans and annoy the opposition in equal measure.

Forest have to move on from Samba but what a rise

Ultimately, Forest allowed the goalkeeper to leave when he was in his prime. He’s 29-years-old and Lens are starting to see a custodian that could play for plenty of top teams in Europe.

In terms of his departure from Forest, the club had little choice. They definitely needed to sign another goalkeeper and Samba craved a move back to France to be closer to his family.

Still, Forest fans hold fond memories of Samba. He was a huge part of the club’s promotion to the Premier League and he will be forever remembered on Trentside as one of the best goalkeepers of the modern era.