It is rare for a UNFP Trophies ceremony to be unanimous, because the awards (awarded following the vote of players and coaches) cannot please everyone depending on the club.
This year, there are many topics of debate after this edition. While Stade Rennais regrets the absence of top scorer Estéban Lepaul in the typical team of the season, the main controversy concerns Ousmane Dembélé, elected best player.
The 2025 Ballon d’Or is probably the most talented player in the championship, intrinsically, but he has only started nine Ligue 1 matches out of 32, and has only played a third of the possible minutes, due to injuries and the management of his playing time. Can you be the best and the most decisive when you play third-time? Ligue 1 players obviously answered yes.
In the rankings, many were upset when they saw Désiré Doué receive the trophy for best hope. Once again, it is not the quality or talent of the player that is called into question, but rather his status. Can you still be considered a “hopeful” when you have been voted best player in the Champions League final, Golden Boy, etc.?
Désiré Doué even better hope?
Concretely, this trophy rewards the best player aged 21 or under. Many are campaigning for certain players not to be eligible, because they are already confirmed members of their club and the championship. We think of Doué, already voted best prospect last season, or Warren Zaire-Emery, elected best prospect… in 2024, and present that season in the standard championship team. Still a simple “hope”, WZE, after 112 Ligue 1 matches and 43 Champions League matches?
The two Parisians were in competition with their teammate Joao Neves, who is also a little more than a hope, as well as with Ayyoub Bouaddi (Lille) and Valentin Barco (Strasbourg). The Losc midfielder is only 18 years old, which means that he can claim the title of best prospect until 2029, if of course he remains in Ligue 1. By this time, he could have more than 200 professional matches (he is already at 95). But be careful! Next year, Doué and Zaire-Emery will still be eligible for the best hopeful trophy.
