Zimbabwe midfielder honoured in France

ZIMBABWE international midfielder Marshall Munetsi  has been recognised for his rich vein of form for French side Stade de Reims by being included in the Ligue 1 team of the month for February by reputable football statistics website, WhosScored.com.

Reims had a good month in which they went undefeated in all the five league matches that they played, recording three wins and two draws.

Munetsi's side has now put together a 10-match unbeaten run in the league and 13 in all competitions to sit 10th place in the French top division.

Munetsi, whose stock in European football continues to rise, has been acknowledged by the publication following his run of brilliant performances for the club during the month despite missing one game due to injury.

Making the list also were Munetsi's teammates Junya Ito and Yunis Abdelhamid while giants Paris Saint Germain contributed three players, Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi.

Former English side Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, who now plays for Nice, teammate Dante Bonfim Costa Santos, French defender Jaouen Hadjam (Nantes), Montpellier's Téji Savanier and Aleksandr Golovin complete the team of the month.

During the month under review, Munetsi made four appearances as a central midfielder and was directly involved in his team's three goals — scoring twice and assisting once across two successive appearances.

His latest strike came on Sunday when he marked his return from injury by scoring a spectacular goal to inspire Stade de Reims to a clinical 3-0 victory against Toulouse in Ligue 1.

Munetsi was making a return from a hip injury that kept him out of action the previous week and doubled the lead in the seventh minute with a powerful shot from a distance.

Japanese international Junya Ito put Reims in front in the fourth minute.

Munetsi could have scored a brace in the match but his powerful shot in the 53rd minute cannoned off the crossbar before Moroccan Yunis Abdelhamid headed in a third from a corner in the 68th minute to complete the rout.

The Zimbabwean midfielder, who had an opportunity to mix and mingle with the world's best footballers at the Best Fifa Football Awards ceremony held in Paris on Monday, is arguably enjoying arguably his best season in France.

With five goals and two assists this season, Munetsi has equalled his output from last season in both departments with 13 games remaining in the season.

And he appears well poised to continue his breakout season following his recognition by WhoScored.com, which is part of the Guardian Sport Network, and is the largest detailed football statistics website, covering Europe's top five leagues and more.