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Ibrahimovic named France's player of the year

Reuters

Paris Saint-Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was named Ligue 1 Player of the Year Sunday, with the Swede earning the honour for the third time in four seasons with capital club.

Player of the Year: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG)

Ibrahimovic, 34, has been the best player on the best side, scoring a league-best 35 goals paired with 13 assists in 29 appearances for the runaway top-flight champions. Zlatan bested teammate Angel Di Maria, Nice's Hatem Ben Arfa, and Marseille's Lassana Diarra for Ligue 1's top individual award.

Young Player of the Year: Ousmane Dembele (Rennes)

Joining the angular goal-machine among Ligue 1 honourees this season is Rennes' teenage sensation Ousmane Dembele, who burst onto the scene in the second half for Les Rouges et Noirs. Twelve goals and five helpers in 21 starts for Rolland Courbis' lot has vaulted the French Under-21 international from near-obscurity to one of Europe's most desired young forwards.

Dembele, 18, beat out Nice's Vincent Koziello, PSG's Adrien Rabiot and Thomas Lemar of Monaco for the honour.

Goalkeeper of the Year: Steve Mandanda (Marseille)

Hard to imagine that Olympique's season could have been any worse, but take veteran shot-stopper Steve Mandanda out of the equation, and the Cote d'Azur giants may very well have experienced the drop for the first time since 1993-94.

Mandanda, 31, has started all but one of Marseille's league matches this season, matching nine clean sheets with the skipper's responsibilities for his second consecutive Goalkeeper of the Year honour and fourth since he joined the club from Le Havre in 2007-08.

Manager of the Year: Laurent Blanc (PSG)

A fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title and a league-record 92 points is good enough for Laurent Blanc's second managerial award on the bounce and third since 2008.

For all the criticism stemming from PSG's continental failings on the heels of a Champions League quarter-finals dismissal for the fourth consecutive year, Blanc's domestic resume has benefited from a 27-point gap on second-place Lyon.

Goal of the Season: Pierrick Capelle (Angers)

Amid of season of obscene goals highlighted by notable efforts from Ben Arfa, Zlatan and others, Angers' Pierrick Capelle nabs the annual honour for this dazzling finish against Guingamp.

France's top flight also named its Team of the Year Sunday dominated by PSG players, including a back four that features a few bizarre selections.

GK: Steve Mandanda (Marseille)

DF: Maxwell (PSG), David Luiz (PSG), Thiago Silva (PSG), Serge Aurier (PSG)

MF: Blaise Matuidi (PSG), Lassana Diarra (Marseille), Marco Verratti (PSG)

FW: Hatem Ben Arfa (Nice), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG), Angel Di Maria (PSG)

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