Ousmane Dembélé, who won the UEFA Champions League with PSG, has been named the Player of the Season by UEFA technical observers. Dembélé recorded 8 goals and 6 assists in 15 UCL matches, playing a crucial role in PSG’s title-winning campaign.
He scored in key matches, including the equalizer in the second leg of the Round of 16 against Liverpool. He also netted the lone goal in the semifinal clash against Arsenal. His crucial penalty against Liverpool sent PSG through to the quarterfinals. Notably, two of his six assists came in the UCL final, where he set up goals for Hakimi and Kvaratskhelia.
Dembélé beat Barcelona's Raphinha to the award. Raphinha finished as the top scorer with 13 goals and 8 assists, making him the top goal contributor in the competition.
Desire Doué was named the Young Player of the Season ahead of Lamine Yamal. The 19-year-old became the youngest player to score in a UCL final with his brace and was the first to both score and assist in a final since Cristiano Ronaldo in 2014.
While many—especially Barcelona fans—argue that Raphinha deserved the Player of the Season award based on his superior stats, it’s important to note that football isn’t judged on numbers alone. According to Sofascore, Raphinha was the highest-rated player and was named in the Team of the Season alongside Hakimi, Doué, Dembélé, Yamal, and others.
However, winning the UCL and delivering a decisive performance in the final likely tipped the scale in Dembélé’s favor.
Some fans argue that the Player of the Season should go to the top scorer because goal contributions are the most important metric. Ironically, many of these same fans are now pushing Ballon d'Or claims for Yamal—who scored just nine league goals—on the basis that "stats don't matter."
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that the saying “Agenda na orphan, adopt the one wey you fit adopt” rings true.
Anyways, do you think Dembélé deserves the UCL Player of the Season award?