Ousmane Dembele has been named Ligue 1 Player of the Year after starting just nine league matches for Paris Saint-Germain this season. Dembele edged out a strong shortlist that included his PSG teammates Vitinha and Nuno Mendes, as well as Marseille forward Greenwood and Florian Thauvin.
It is a second consecutive award for the winger who won the first after a steller 2024/25 season which saw PSG lift the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. However, this season’s award was marked by controversy, with pundits questioning why Dembele should win the league’s top individual accolade despite his relatively limited playing opportunities.
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The Ballon d’Or winner acknowledged the criticism, but insisted his minutes in the league counts.
He told Foot Mercato: “Perceptions have changed because I’m the reigning Ballon d’Or winner. And yes, I’ve had quite a few physical setbacks. I haven’t had a lot of playing time, but every time I’ve been on the pitch, I’ve tried to be there for the team. That was the case against Marseille and against Lille, where I tried to help the team. I don’t know if my time counts double, but I’m happy that the players voted for me.”
Ousmane Dembele has enjoyed an impressive Ligue 1 season despite his limited playing time. In 20 appearances in the league for PSG, he registered 10 goals and six assists. His influence was even more felt during the second half of the league campaign where he led PSG to another Ligue 1 title.
Meanwhile, another PSG star Desire Doue, won the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Season award after another impressive 2025-26 campaign. This is Doue’s second consecutive award, after beating Joao Neves and Warren Zaïre-Emery.
