The 34th edition of the UNFP football trophies was held this Monday, May 11 at the Palais Brongniart, in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris, and was broadcast unencrypted on Ligue 1+. As every year, it was the players in French professional football themselves – players, coaches, club presidents – who nominated their peers through a vote, giving this ceremony a particular legitimacy in the eyes of the profession. Among the main awards of the evening, Robin Risser was crowned best goalkeeper in Ligue 1, Désiré Doué best prospect, and Pierre Sage best coach in Ligue 1. In terms of international distinction, Michael Olise was elected best French player playing abroad. Ousmane Dembélé won the title of best player in Ligue 1 for the second year in a row.
But the evening did not take long to cause a stir, and the first controversy concerned the typical team of the season. The eleven of the year, largely dominated by PSG with notably Hakimi, Pacho and Nuno Mendes in defense, Vitinha in the middle and Dembélé in attack, noted the absence of Esteban Lepaul, the championship’s top scorer with 20 goals in 33 games. Stade Rennais was quick to react, humorously publishing a meme of basketball player LeBron James to denounce the omission of its star striker. Even more paradoxical, Mason Greenwood, author of a mixed season and divisive figure in Ligue 1, does indeed appear in this gala eleven, to the detriment of the championship’s top scorer.
Other misunderstandings drove social networks crazy
The controversy surrounding SCO Angers goalkeeper Hervé Koffi fueled a second wave of indignation. Dismissed from the trophy for best goalkeeper in favor of Robin Risser, the Angevin goalkeeper aroused the discontent of his club, which reacted strongly on social networks to contest this choice of voters: “Greater number of stops. Highest rate of goals avoided. Highest save percentage. Ten clean sheets. Not enough for this trophy, apparently. For us, you are indeed the Best Goalkeeper in Ligue 1, Hervé”. With 15 clean sheets in Ligue 1, Dominik Greif may also feel wronged, just like Moussa Niakhaté. Author of a huge season, the Senegalese from OL does not appear in the eleven of the year.
The question of the best player trophy has also caused a lot of ink to flow: Ousmane Dembélé, rewarded despite only nine starts in Ligue 1 this season, was preferred to Florian Thauvin, who was nevertheless elected player of the month three times during the year. A list which questions the consistency of the peer voting system, which sometimes seems to reward notoriety as much as raw performance. Finally, the absence of Warren Zaire-Emery from the eleven of the year, in particular for the benefit of Achraf Hakimi, has completely turned off some observers. Having spent a full season as a right defender or in midfield, the young Parisian left the evening empty-handed, without the slightest trophy to his credit. These multiple controversies illustrate the inherent limits of a peer nomination system which sometimes creates inconsistencies in the eyes of the general public.
