The glitz, the glamour, and the glory were on full display yesterday, May 11, 2026, at the annual Trophées UNFP ceremony in Paris. French football’s biggest night of the year delivered plenty of drama, surprise winners, and well-deserved recognition as the 2025-26 season drew to a close.
From dazzling individual performances to tactical masterclasses, here’s how the night unfolded.
Player of the Year: Ousmane Dembélé (Back-to-Back King!)
The headline of the night? Ousmane Dembélé was crowned Ligue 1 Player of the Season for the second year running! Despite injury setbacks that limited his starts, the PSG superstar’s explosive cameos, creativity, and match-winning moments proved impossible to ignore.
Dembélé edged out strong competition including teammates Nuno Mendes and Vitinha, as well as Florian Thauvin (Lens) and Mason Greenwood (Marseille). The French winger continues to prove he’s one of the most dangerous attackers in Europe when fit. What a talent!
Young Player of the Year: Désiré Doué Retains His Crown
The future is bright! Désiré Doué made it back-to-back Young Player of the Year awards. The PSG youngster continues to impress with his maturity, technical brilliance, and goal contributions, beating fellow academy talents like Warren Zaïre-Emery and João Neves.
This kid is going places — big things are expected from him.
Best French Player Abroad: Michael Olise Shines Bright!
Michael Olise had a brilliant night! The Bayern Munich star was crowned Best French Player Abroad, seeing off strong challengers including Kylian Mbappé.
Olise enjoyed a phenomenal season in Germany with incredible goal contributions, creativity, and consistency. This award is a massive personal triumph and recognition of his superb form at club level. Huge congratulations to the former Crystal Palace man!
Other Big Winners on the Night
- Best Goalkeeper: Robin Risser (RC Lens) — A breakout season for the young shot-stopper.
- Manager of the Year: Pierre Sage (RC Lens) — A huge achievement! He beat out big names like Luis Enrique (PSG) with his excellent work at Lens.
- Best Goal of the Season: Also went to Ousmane Dembélé — because why not?
The Team of the Season also reflected a shift in power, with PSG having only 5 players selected (down significantly from last year), highlighting how competitive Ligue 1 has been.
A Night Full of Emotion and Celebration
The ceremony was packed with heartfelt speeches, surprise moments, and pure joy. While PSG stars dominated many individual honours, the success of clubs like Lens showed that hard work and smart projects can still earn major recognition.
This edition of the UNFP Awards perfectly captured the spirit of the 2025-26 Ligue 1 season — talent, resilience, and exciting new stories.
Big congratulations to all the winners, especially Dembélé and Olise for their standout nights!
