OUSMANE DEMBELE followed up his Ballon d’Or win by being crowned Fifa’s The Best footballer of the year.
The French forward led PSG to Champions League glory for the first time, scoring eight goals.
Ousmane Dembele was crowned Fifa’s The Best men’s footballer of the yearCredit: Getty
Thomas Tuchel and Harry Kane’s votes have been revealedCredit: PA
And at a glitzy awards night in Doha on Tuesday night, he picked up the prestigious The Best gong, which was launched in 2016.
Each country’s captain, head coach and a member of the media get to vote – as well as the public.
And .
, 28, secured 50 points in the vote, with Lamine Yamal second on 39 and Kylian Mbappe third on 35.
The former Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona attacker was the top pick for both and Lionel Messi.
Kane then went for Vitinha and Mo Salah while Messi chose Mbappe and Yamal.
Dembele’s national team boss Didier Deschamps unsurprisingly backed him, too, ahead of Mbappe and Hakimi.
However, England boss did not.
The Three Lions chief went for two of his own stars as the top two players in the world this year – Kane and Cole Palmer, with Dembele third.
But Portugal captain snubbed the awards once again as part of his long-term boycott protest.
He won the first two The Best awards in 2016 and 2017 but has not even made the podium since 2020.
Instead, the Al-Nassr veteran passed his voting rights to Bernardo Silva who voted for Vitinha, Nuno Mendes and Dembele.
Elsewhere, Gianluigi Donnarumma was crowned The Best Goalkeeper and Luis Enrique The Best Coach.
On the women’s side, Aitana Bonmati secured a hat-trick of The Best player trophies with England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and coach Sarina Wiegman collecting their respective accolades for their Euros success.
was joined by Lionesses team-mates Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson and Alessia Russo in the Women’s World XI – as well as seven Spaniards.
Two Englishmen made the Men’s World XI – even though neither are nailed-on starters under Tuchel at the World Cup.
‘HOPE TO BE BACK NEXT YEAR’
Palmer and Jude Bellingham joined Vitinha and Pedri in the midfield.
Donnarumma and Virgil van Dijk completed the limited Premier League representation with Mendes, Hakimi and Willian Pacho completing the defence.
Dembele and Yamal, as expected, got selected in attack.
After receiving the trophy from Gianni Infantino in Qatar, where PSG will play Flamengo in the Intercontinental Cup, Dembele said: “First of all, I’d like to thank all my team-mates, it turns out hard work pays off.
“It has been a fantastic year for me, both individually and as a team.
“I’d also like to thank my family, who have always been there for me, Paris Saint-Germain, the President, his staff, and everyone who works at the club and Luis Campos.
“I’d also like to thank you, Mr President. I’ve always received a little message from you on my birthday, which always makes me happy. I hope to be back here again next year.”
Cristiano Ronaldo refused to vote despite being Portugal captainCredit: Getty
Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer made the men’s XICredit: Getty
Hannah Hampton collected her goalkeeper award remotelyCredit: Getty
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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