In his first season at OGC Nice, Kasper Dolberg became a fan favourite at the Allianz Riviera, continuing the great tradition of talented foreign strikers to have plied their trade for the Côte d'Azur club.
Arriving with the status of an established young European talent thanks to his time with a precocious Ajax side - for whom he scored 33 goals in 78 league matches, Kasper Dolberg quickly won over OGC Nice fans with his performances in Ligue 1 Conforama.
The Danish international, 22, scored nine of his 11 league goals at the Allianz Riviera. The man who scored a third of the Gym's goals at home this season bagged two braces in front of the club's die-hard fans, both times securing victory: against OL (R22, 2-1) and in the derby against AS Monaco (R28, 2-1).
Dolberg is not the first foreigner to land on Nice's shores and shoot his way into the hearts of fans and pundits alike - Dario Cvitanich, who also arrived from Ajax Amsterdam - seven and a half years ago - is another notable example, but most certainly not the only one.
OGC Nice's foreign strikers before 2000:
Vic Nuremberg (Luxembourg, 89 goals between 1951 and 1960)
Rafael Santos (Argentina, 45 goals between 1965 and 1969)
Leif Eriksson (Sweden, 43 goals between 1970 and 1975)
Nenad Bjekovic (Yugoslavia, 85 goals between 1976 and 1981)
Jorge Dominguez (Argentina, top scorer in the 2nd division with 28 goals in 1984-85, then ten goals in the elite the following season)
Robby Langers (Luxembourg, 21 goals between 1989 and 1991 in the top flight)
OGC Nice's foreign goalscorers in Ligue 1 Conforama after 2000
Agali and the derby hat-trick
While Nigerian Victor Agali may have scored 'only' six goals in his season in Nice in 2004-05, but he left an indelible mark on the Côte d'Azur club and Ligue 1 Conforama by smashing an eight-minute hat-trick at the Stade Louis-II on 2 October 2004. Les Aiglons won this incredible derby against AS Monaco despite being 3-0 down on the hour mark! Thanks to Agali…
Supersonic Baky
After shining in a lower division with FC Lorient, Ivorian international Bakari Koné shone for OGC Nice in the top flight. Between 2005 and 2008, the little 'Baky' (1m63) let his energy and skill speak for themselves, scoring 29 goals, including 14 in the 2007-08 season.
'Super Dario' Cvitanich
Arriving from Ajax, like Dolberg, in August 2012, Argentine Dario Cvitanich had a superb season with Les Aiglons, finishing third-top scorer in Ligue 1 Conforama with 19 goals - behind Ibrahimovic and Aubameyang. 'Super Dario' scored a further 11 league goals between 2013 and January 2015 before leaving Nice for Mexico.
Carlos Eduardo's historic five-goal haul
Like Agali, Brazilian Carlos Eduardo only played one season (2014-15) at OGC Nice. And like the Nigerian, he will be remembered by the club and the league for one match in particular. On 26 October 2014, Ligue 1 Conforama's Round 11, the player on loan from FC Porto scored an incredible quintuple as Les Aiglons won 7-2 away to Guingamp. That turned out to be half his goal tally for the entire entire season!
Balotelli: heavyweight signature
Among the foreign strikers signed by OGC Nice, Mario Balotelli remains necessarily the most resounding coup. 'Super Mario' wanted to get back into the game, and the club offered him the chance… and it worked! For two seasons, the Italian international was a wonderful presence on Ligue 1 Conforama pitches, scoring 33 goals in 51 matches between 2016 and 2018. Despite things becoming complicated towards the end of his tenure on the Côte d'Azur, the Italian left a lasting impression..
