Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé voted Ligue 1's best player despite limited playing time

PARIS (AP) — Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembele won Ligue 1's player of the season award for the second straight year, despite injuries limiting him to nine league starts.

Dembélé received the award late Monday night as a PSG player claimed it for the 10th straight time. Kylian Mbappé won five in a row before joining Real Madrid.

Alexandre Lacazette was the last non-PSG player to win it when playing for Lyon in 2015. The prize was not awarded during the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign.

Dembélé was selected ahead of two PSG teammates: left back Nuno Mendes and tireless central midfielder Vitinha — who spent more than twice as long as Dembélé on the field. Lens winger Florian Thauvin and Marseille forward Mason Greenwood were the other two candidates.

Dembélé starred in PSG's league title win last season with 21 goals — level with Greenwood — and went on to win the Ballon d'Or, but made less of an impact this time mainly because of nagging injuries in the first half of the season.

But he still managed 10 goals and five assists in 20 league appearances overall as coach Luis Enrique used him and captain Marquinhos more sparingly in Ligue 1. Dembélé played 959 minutes in total compared to 2,369 for Thauvin, who finished with the same number of goals, assists and penalties (two) and 2,008 for Vitinha.

His performances have arguably been more impactful in the Champions League. PSG is aiming for a second straight title after beating Bayern Munich in the semifinals, with Dembélé’s early goal in the return leg earning PSG a 1-1 draw and putting it through 6-5 on aggregate.

PSG plays Premier League leader Arsenal in the final on May 30.

Other awards

PSG teammate Desire Doue was voted the league's best young player for the second straight season. The 20-year-old forward's winning goal against Brest on Sunday put PSG on the verge of a record-extending 14th league title.

PSG is six points ahead of second-placed Lens with two games left and with a vastly superior goal difference. PSG only needs a draw at Lens on Wednesday in their rescheduled match to clinch the title.

Pierre Sage won the best coach award for turning Lens into a surprise title contender in his first season in charge and with far less resources than cash-rich PSG.

“Congratulations to Pierre Sage, he deserves to win this trophy because what he's done with Lens is incredible,” Luis Enrique said. “It's the first time in my three seasons here that there's been a genuine rival. It's has been motivating.”

Robin Risser won the best goalkeeper award for Lens.

Haiti playmaker Melchie Dumornay won best women's player for OL Lyonnes, which is chasing a quadruple this season. ___

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