PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele was named the Ligue 1 player of the year for the second year running, after leading the club to the brink of a 14th French title and the UEFA Champions League final.
The 28-year-old becomes just the fifth player to win back-to-back awards, the last being Zlatan Ibrahimovic in 2014.
Dembele last year succeeded Kylian Mbappe who won the prize five times in a row before departing for Real Madrid.
“It’s an individual trophy but all the individual trophies I’ve won are thanks to this team,” Dembele said according to AFP.
The forward retained the honour despite having had an injury-plagued season.
He has started just nine matches in Ligue 1, notching up 960 minutes of gametime, compared to 20 starts and 1 736 minutes last season.
Despite the reduced time on the pitch, Demebele has scored 10 goals and six assists – still down on the 21 and eight he achieved last year.
Paris Saint-Germain effectively wrapped up another Ligue 1 title on Sunday as a 1-0 win over Brest left them six points clear of nearest rivals Lens.
With just two games remaining, Luis Enrique’s side also boast a superior goal difference.
PSG will be officially crowned French champions for the fifth season running, and the 12th time in the last 14 years, if they avoid defeat away to second-placed Lens on Wednesday.
PSG are also preparing for the Champions League final against Arsenal later this month after edging Bayern 6-5 on aggregate in their semifinal.
The award for best young player went to Dembele’s teammate Desire Doue, while Pierre Sage picked up the honours for best coach after establishing Lens as a direct challenger to PSG.
