Deborah Akinyosoye
Paris Saint-Germain strikers Ousmane Dembele was named Champions League player of the season as UEFA on Sunday picked seven of the title-winning side on the competition’s team of the season.
PSG won the trophy for the first time by thrashing Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich on Saturday.
Dembele, who hit eight goals over the competition, did not score in the final but he provided two assists and his overall performance drew praise from the UEFA Technical Observer Group.
“Dembele has taken on the role of a leader in the Paris Saint-Germain team, as we saw in the final with how he worked so hard, pressing from the front,” explained the committee.
“He created doubts for their opponents match after match with his clever movement, dropping deep to give his team superiority in the midfield.”
PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and defenders Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos and Nuno Mendes were also in the XI along with midfielder Vitinha and teenage attacker Desire Doue who scored twice and set up another in Saturday’s rout.
The four non-PSG players in the team were defender Alessandro Bastoni of beaten finalists Inter, midfielder Declan Rice of Arsenal and Raphinha, the season’s joint top scorer, and Lamine Yamal of Barcelona.
“We’ve made this selection of players, particularly in the attack, to reflect the exceptional mobility which was such a feature of the victorious Paris Saint-Germain team’s approach,” said the UEFA report.
“The forward line selected represents this – a flexible team with attacking players who can interchange positions.”
Doue, who was not a regular starter as PSG struggled in the group stage of the competition, edged 17-year-old Yamal to the competition’s young player award.
“Doue has been a revelation this season,” said UEFA. “He made an incredible breakthrough in the knockout phase, going to the final and producing a Player of the Match performance on Saturday night, becoming the first teenager to score twice in a final.”
Dembele’s award could have an impact on the voting for Ballon d’Or, the annual global player-of-the-year award, which will be presented on September 22.
“I’d give the Ballon d’Or to Ousmane Dembele, simply for the way he defends,” said PSG’s Spanish coach after the victory on Saturday.
Yamal, Raphinha and Donnarumma are among other frontrunners for the award.
Player of the Season: Ousmanne Dembele.
Young Player of the Season: Desire Doue
Top Goalscorer: Raphinha and Serhou Guirassy with 13 goals each.
Team of the Season:
Goalkeeper
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain)
Defenders
Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)
Marquinhos (Paris Saint-Germain)
Alessandro Bastoni (Inter)
Nuno Mendes (Paris Saint-Germain)
Midfielders
Vitinha (Paris Saint-Germain)
Declan Rice (Arsenal)
Forwards
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
Désiré Doué (Paris Saint-Germain)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain)
Raphinha (Barcelona)