A pleasant surprise to close the 34th UNFP Awards ceremony. After all the awards had been presented, it was time to crown the best player in Ligue 1. Last season’s winner, Ousmane Dembele, was among the five nominees alongside Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, Mason Greenwood, and Florian Thauvin. The latter was even hoping to pull a trick at the 2025 Ballon d’Or.
With 10 goals and 5 assists in 31 matches, the 2018 World Cup champion thought he would benefit from RC Lens’ excellent season (2nd in the league and qualified for the next Champions League) to be crowned. Having won the Player of the Month award three times this season, Thauvin had high hopes. But in the end, Dembele retained his title.
Dembele retains his crown
The Paris Saint-Germain number 10 played fewer games than Thauvin (20 matches, 10 goals, 6 assists), but it was enough to convince the other players in Ligue 1 to vote in his favor. With this second consecutive title, Dembele became the fifth player in history to retain his crown at the UNFP Awards.
“Thanks to the whole team, I have exceptional teammates, three or four of whom could win these awards. The supporters are exceptional. We will stay focused because we have the Champions League final and the World Cup ahead. I thank my whole family, coach Luis Enrique, and Vitinha too because he asked me to pay tribute to him, he’s an exceptional teammate who deserved this award, but well, with a goal… (laughs)”, said the winner, with a touch of humor.
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