Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) striker Ousmane Dembele has been named the UEFA Champions League Player of the Season, leading a contingent of seven PSG players selected for the tournament’s best XI, UEFA announced on Sunday.
PSG clinched their first-ever Champions League title with a commanding 5-0 win over Inter Milan in the final held in Munich on Saturday.
While Dembele didn’t find the net in the final, his two assists and relentless pressing earned him the top individual honour from UEFA’s Technical Observer Group.
“Dembele has emerged as a leader for PSG,” noted the committee. “His intelligent movement and work rate, especially pressing from the front, consistently disrupted opposition defences.”
The team of the season also features PSG stars Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, defenders Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, and Nuno Mendes, as well as midfielder Vitinha. Rising star Désiré Doué also cut a dazzling performance in the final, where he scored twice and assisted once.
The only four players in the team not from PSG were Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni, Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, and Barcelona duo Raphinha, joint top scorer of the competition, and Lamine Yamal.
UEFA praised PSG’s attacking philosophy, saying, “We chose a forward line to reflect the extraordinary fluidity and movement that defined PSG’s play throughout the tournament. The attackers in the XI are all capable of switching roles seamlessly.”
Doué, who had limited appearances in the group stage, was also named UEFA’s Young Player of the Season. His late surge in the knockout rounds, capped with a Player of the Match display in the final, saw him become the first teenager to score twice in a Champions League final, beating 17-year-old Yamal to the award.
Dembele’s standout performances have bolstered his chances in the upcoming Ballon d’Or race, set for September 22. PSG manager Luis Enrique endorsed his star forward, saying, “I’d give the Ballon d’Or to Ousmane Dembele, simply for the way he defends.”
Others tipped for the prestigious honour include Yamal, Raphinha, and Donnarumma.
