Ousmane Dembele is one of the nominees for tonight’s FIFA award of the year, and our own John Kross votes for PSG’s superstar – here’s why
My vote goes to Ousmane Dembele for FIFA’s Best Award. Dembélé has been devastatingly great for Paris Saint-Germain, so it really could be none other than him.
Dembélé was a fast, highly skilled and superstar who contributed to PSG’s incredible success in the Champions League. The French forward was the difference as he made PSG one of the best teams in Europe. In my opinion, PSG have been the most entertaining club team in recent years.
I liked how Luis Enrique ditched the superstar model and in the process PSG sold Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, pursuing a team ethic instead. Perhaps Dembele was an exception. Let’s not forget that Dembele was not in the side at the beginning of the season.
It was during PSG’s run-in to European success, which also included the first Champions League trophy for the French superclub, that he truly emerged. Dembele was at the forefront of such an exciting team. They had us on the edge of our seats, but were breathtakingly fast and fun to watch.
I loved Vicinha. His skillful control in midfield was superb.
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PSG coach Enrique also got my vote as Coach of the Year. Seeing the way he handled pressure, built the team and entertained us, he was the clear choice. His emotion after dedicating the trophy to his late daughter made it feel even more special and like a great accomplishment. What a man.
And finally, Enrique made me laugh with a low-key “Farmers League” joke about the French league and PSG having the audacity to beat Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa along the way.
Arne Slott is fantastic and deserves a lot of credit for leading Liverpool to the Premier League title in his first season at the club. Also, bearing in mind that this is a FIFA award, I think Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca deserves the prestigious award.
Maresca won the European trophy with Chelsea in the Europa Conference League. Despite a difficult season on and off the pitch, he led the team to Champions League qualification. And best of all, they won the Club World Cup last summer. Maresca outmaneuvered PSG in the final in New Jersey and created a tactical master plan.
Chelsea surprised everyone. Cole Palmer was electric. Chelsea were brilliant, winning the first new-style Club World Cup in true style.
Maresca is a strange player. He deserves more praise than he’s getting – and it seems he feels that way even from within his own club. But in hosting the Club World Cup, he wrote a piece of history that no one can take away from him.
And that deserves a little more credit than he’s gotten so far.
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