# Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year

The UNFP Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year is an official award given by the Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels (UNFP) to a player aged 23 years or under at the start of the season whose performances are considered to be the best in Ligue 1, France's top professional football league. The inaugural award was handed to midfielder Zinedine Zidane of Bordeaux, following the 1993–94 Division 1 season. It has been awarded ever since its inception, with the exception of the 2019−20 season, where the competition was abruptly cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The award has been given to 27 different players over the course of 30 seasons, with only Eden Hazard and Kylian Mbappé winning the award on more than one occasion. Of these players, only Mbappé has won the award three times. Hazard (Belgium), Marco Verratti (Italy), Younès Belhanda (Morocco), and Nuno Mendes (Portugal) are the only recipients of the award who represent a nation other than France.
Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery is the most recent winner of the award, which was awarded to him for his performances in the 2023–24 Ligue 1 season.

## Winners

Award recipients :
| Season | Player | Nationality | Club | Position |
| 1993–94 | Zinedine Zidane | France | Bordeaux | Midfielder |
| 1994–95 | Florian Maurice | France | Lyon | Forward |
| 1995–96 | Robert Pires | France | Metz | Forward |
| 1996–97 | Thierry Henry | France | Monaco | Forward |
| 1997–98 | David Trezeguet | France | Monaco | Forward |
| 1998–99 | Olivier Monterrubio | France | Nantes | Midfielder |
| 1999–2000 | Philippe Christanval | France | Monaco | Defender |
| 2000–01 | Sidney Govou | France | Lyon | Forward |
| 2001–02 | Djibril Cissé | France | Auxerre | Forward |
| 2002–03 | Lionel Mathis | France | Auxerre | Midfielder |
| 2003–04 | Patrice Evra | France | Monaco | Defender |
| 2004–05 | Jérémy Toulalan | France | Nantes | Midfielder |
| 2005–06 | Franck Ribéry | France | Marseille | Forward |
| 2006–07 | Samir Nasri | France | Marseille | Midfielder |
| 2007–08 | Hatem Ben Arfa | France | Lyon | Forward |
| 2008–09 | Eden Hazard | Belgium | Lille | Forward |
| 2009–10 | Eden Hazard (2) | Belgium | Lille | Forward |
| 2010–11 | Mamadou Sakho | France | Paris Saint-Germain | Defender |
| 2011–12 | Younès Belhanda | Morocco | Montpellier | Midfielder |
| 2012–13 | Florian Thauvin | France | Bastia | Forward |
| 2013–14 | Marco Verratti | Italy | Paris Saint-Germain | Midfielder |
| 2014–15 | Nabil Fekir | France | Lyon | Forward |
| 2015–16 | Ousmane Dembélé | France | Rennes | Forward |
| 2016−17 | Kylian Mbappé | France | Monaco | Forward |
| 2017−18 | Kylian Mbappé (2) | France | Paris Saint-Germain | Forward |
| 2018−19 | Kylian Mbappé (3) | France | Paris Saint-Germain | Forward |
| 2019−20 | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020−21 | Aurélien Tchouaméni | France | Monaco | Midfielder |
| 2021−22 | William Saliba | France | Marseille | Defender |
| 2022−23 | Nuno Mendes | Portugal | Paris Saint-Germain | Defender |
| 2023−24 | Warren Zaïre-Emery | France | Paris Saint-Germain | Midfielder |

### Multiple wins

Multiple wins :
| Rank | Player | Total | Seasons |
| 1 | Kylian Mbappé (FRA) | 3 | 2016−17, 2017−18, 2018−19 |
| 2 | Eden Hazard (BEL) | 2 | 2008−09, 2009−10 |

### Awards won by club

Awards won by club :
| Club | Total |
| Monaco | 6 |
| Paris Saint-Germain | 6 |
| Lyon | 4 |
| Marseille | 3 |
| Auxerre | 2 |
| Lille | 2 |
| Nantes | 2 |
| Bastia | 1 |
| Bordeaux | 1 |
| Metz | 1 |
| Montpellier | 1 |
| Rennes | 1 |

### Awards won by nationality

Awards won by nationality :
| Nationality | Total |
| France | 25 |
| Belgium | 2 |
| Italy | 1 |
| Morocco | 1 |
| Portugal | 1 |

### Awards won by playing position

Awards won by playing position :
| Position | Total |
| Forward | 16 |
| Midfielder | 9 |
| Defender | 5 |
| Goalkeeper | 0 |