Ousmane Dembélé clinches UNFP Player of the Year award

Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé has officially been crowned as the Ligue 1 McDonald's Player of the Year at the UNFP awards ceremony in Paris on Sunday evening. He succeeded a run of five consecutive awards clinched by France captain and former PSG teammate Kylian Mbappé.

Dembélé has enjoyed a prolific season in front of goal after being repositioned in a more central role by coach Luis Enrique. As a false nine, he has registered 33 goals and 13 assists across all competitions, with a Coupe de France final (24 May vs. Reims) and a UEFA Champions League final (31 May vs. Inter Milan) still to play.

It's a transformation which has defined Les Rouge et Bleu's season so far, with Dembélé evolving into a central threat that has terrorised defences in Ligue 1 McDonald's and the UEFA Champions League alike.

“Playing more centrally puts me at the heart of the game and closer to goal – it’s helped me become more composed in the box,” Dembélé explained after accepting his award. Flanked by France manager Didier Deschamps, he added with a grin: “He still plays me out wide, though.”

PSG well-represented

The capital club were well-represented in the nominations, with Dembélé beating Achraf Hakimi, Vitinha, and Désiré Doué for the award. Olympique Lyonnais star-boy Rayan Charki was the only non-PSG nominee.

Dembélé’s award was the headline act in a dominant evening for the Ligue 1 champions, who placed nine players in the Team of the Season – a record. In addition to Luis Enrique’s award, Désiré Doué was named Best Young Player after a season in which he has tallied 12 goals and 12 assists, and earned his first senior France cap in March.

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