Zimbabwean forward Tino Kadewere has the opportunity to become his country's leading Ligue 1 marksman when he starts his Olympique Lyonnais career in 2020-2021.
The 24-year-old agreed to join OL in January 2020 in a 15 million euro deal but was loaned back to Le Havre for the rest of the 2019-2020 season, one that he finished as the top scorer in Ligue 2 with 20 goals.
Born in the Zimbabwean capital Harare, Kadewere made his name in Europe with Swedish club Djurgardens before moving to Le Havre in 2018. Kadewere will hope to make an even bigger impact than his compatriot Benjani, who scored 19 Ligue 1 goals in 72 appearances for Auxerre between 2002 and 2006.
When presented as an OL player in June 2020, Kadewere said: "My progress has been very rapid and rather atypical. When I was very young, just after school, I joined my first club, before going to Sweden, then to Le Havre and finally to OL today. If you look at my choices, they stem from a personal strategy of development. I'm taking the plunge today because I feel ready."
Recent seasons have proved that being top scorer in Ligue 2 is no guarantee of success in the top division and Kadewere will hope to buck the trend:
Gaëtan Charbonnier (Brest) - 27 Ligue 2 goals 2018-2019, 6 Ligue 1 goals 2019-2020
Umut Bozok (Nîmes) - 24 Ligue 2 goals 2017-2018, 2 Ligue 1 goals 2018-2019
Adama Niane (Troyes) - 23 Ligue 2 goals 2016-2017, 8 Ligue 1 goals 2017-2018
