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Club of the Year
There could be several clubs in this category because what it means for FC Bayern München to win the championship is comparable to Arminia Bielefeld staying in the Bundesliga, or for FC Union Berlin, Eintracht Frankfurt or VfL Wolfsburg qualifying to play in Europe. Which team surprised me the most? I would say Union qualifying for the UEFA Conference League or Arminia Bielefeld staying up when most of the experts and football fans would have thought they would have gone back to the Bundesliga 2. But they will stay and fight for a minimum of one more year in the top division. These are the two that surprised me the most.
Player of the Year
When somebody scores 41 goals in the Bundesliga, a historic new record, they have to be the Player of the Year. Robert Lewandowski did not only score 41 goals, he also worked incredibly well for the team. He provides assists so that teammates can score, immediately pressing to get the ball back, he is a complete player in his position. For all those reasons, combined with this record, he has to be Player of the Year. Looking to the future, I believe that if Erling Haaland makes the right steps in the coming years, he can be the next Lewandowski, the next Cristiano Ronaldo. He can be the best player in the world. We’re looking at him and Kylian Mbappé, who could replace the competition between Lionel Messi and Ronaldo.
Young Player of the Year
Jamal Musiala from FC Bayern has had a great season and is now in Joachim Löw’s Germany squad for the UEFA European Championship. Also, Florian Wirtz from Bayer 04 Leverkusen–just 18 years old but he was a key player for the team this season with 25 starts. Musiala came off the bench a little bit more, but when he did start, he was scoring goals and ended the season with six. These two young guys really shined this season.
Coach of the Year
What Urs Fischer has done with Union in their second Bundesliga season qualifying for the UEFA Conference League is a great achievement. I think we cannot always say “the coach of the champion is the Coach of the Year” –it is easier to win with Bayern than with some other teams, so Urs Fischer deserves great credit for his success. And he is not only a great coach but a very nice guy–he always gives good interviews and it’s fantastic to talk with him!
Team of the Year
Normally, I would not play two strikers but right now you have two generational players –the new generation in Erling Haaland and the older generation in Robert Lewandowski. The difference is around 12 years and maybe you wouldn’t normally play these two guys together but when you’re talking about two players with this talent, they have to be in the team! Thomas Müller can play just behind –he’s had another great season with 11 goals and 21 assists, and now he’s back in the national squad. WhenI talk about players of the season, I am looking at the whole year, and Joshua Kimmich and Marcel Sabitzer would be the midfield two behind Müller. On the right, I think Ridle Baku from VfL Wolfsburg, who I think could have been in Löw’s squad for the European Championship. He is versatile on the right side and has played an excellent season. On the left, Filip Kostic from Eintracht Frankfurt but it is a hard choice –there are so many talented players! The three defenders would be MatsHummels, Dayot Upamecano and Lucas Hernández in front of Manuel Neuer, who has been fantastic again in many, many games. And not just in the Bundesliga –for me, Manuel Neuer is still the best goalkeeper in the world.
Formation: 3–4–1–2
- GK –Manuel Neuer
- CB –Mats Hummels
- CB –Dayot Upamecano
- CB –Lucas Hernández
- RWB –Ridle Baku
- LWB –Filip Kostic
- CM –Joshua Kimmich
- CM –Marcel Sabitzer
- AM –Thomas Müller
- CF –Erling Haaland
- CF –Robert Lewandowski
