Global InformationLigue 1 Young Player of the Year information
 Zinedine Zidane won the inaugural award in 1994 with Bordeaux. | |
| Sport | Association football |
|---|---|
| League | Ligue 1 |
| Awarded for | being the best performing player in a Ligue 1 season whilst aged 23 years or under at the start of the season. |
| Country | France |
| Presented by | Union Nationale des Footballeurs Professionnels |
| History | |
| First award | 1994 |
| Editions | 29 (as of 2023) |
| First winner |  Zinedine Zidane |
| Most wins | Kylian Mbappé (3 awards) |
| Most recent | Warren Zaïre-Emery (2023–24) |
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.[1] 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.[2]
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.[3]
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:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Losada, Antonio (29 May 2023). "Nuno Mendes named Young Player of the Year for 2022/23 season". MSN. Archived from the original on 29 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.