A surprise ending to the 34th UNFP Trophy ceremony. After all the awards had been handed out, it was time to crown the best player in Ligue 1. Having been crowned the previous season, Ousmane Dembele was among the five nominees along with Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, Mason Greenwood, and Florian Thauvin. The latter could have potentially played a trick on the 2025 Ballon d’Or winner.
With 10 goals and 5 assists in 31 matches, the 2018 World Cup champion thought he could benefit from RC Lens’ impressive 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 Ligue 1 players to vote in his favor. With this second consecutive win, Dembele became the fifth player in history to retain his crown in the UNFP Trophies.
“It’s thanks to the whole club, I have exceptional teammates, three or four of whom could have won these trophies. The supporters are exceptional. We will stay focused because there is the Champions League final and the World Cup. I thank my entire family, coach Luis Enrique, and Vitinha too because he asked me to pay tribute to him, he is an exceptional teammate, he deserved this trophy, but well, with a goal… (laughs)”, said the winner, with a hint of humor.
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