Tonight’s UNFP awards – the official Ligue 1 ceremony organised by the players’ union – has seen Kylian Mbappé named the top flight’s player of the year for the fourth consecutive time.
The France captain has claimed the prize every year since 2019 – the awards were cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year, he has beaten out his teammate Lionel Messi, Lens pair Loïs Openda and Séko Fofana, as well as Lille striker Jonathan David.
Mbappé’s 28-goal haul sees him lead the league’s scoring charts going into the final matchday next Saturday, and has been the key player – along with Messi – in PSG’s record-breaking 11th Ligue 1 title win. The title was clinched last night as the 24-year-old set up the Argentine’s goal against Strasbourg, in what would eventually be a draw against the Alsatians.
Although rumours about his future persist, this season has seen the forward emerge as the centrepiece of the PSG project, becoming the most influential out of the team’s star attacking trident. Mbappé is likely to remain in the French capital this summer, but he is also effectively entering the final year of his contract – the deal he signed last year, that fended off Real Madrid’s interest. He can unilaterally trigger a one-year extension clause before the end of the summer – a move he is reportedly stalling to put the pressure on the upper management to get this summer’s transfer window right, so that they can finally mount a credible Champions League challenge.
GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin
