By 
This season, once again, the Bundesliga will be officially recognising outstanding individual performances with the Player of the Month award. The award was created by the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga in 2018/19 in cooperation with the Bundesliga’s official licensing partner, EA Sports. The nominees for September’s vote are Florian Wirtz, Joshua Kimmich, Christopher Nkunku, Erling Haaland, Leroy Sane and Christian Günter.
Florian Wirtz (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
You can hardly call Florian Wirtz a rising star anymore. The Bayer Leverkusen teenager is already shining brightly and leading their charge up the table after a stellar September. The 18-year-old scored a goal in all three of his team’s Bundesliga games over the last month, breaking records as the youngest player to ever score eight, nine and then 10 Bundesliga goals. On top of the three he got himself in September, the recently capped Germany international also set up two more, putting him level with Erling Haaland for most goal contributions in the Bundesliga last month. Wirtz was directly involved in five of Leverkusen’s seven goals in the past three games, and he’s also tied with Andrej Kramaric as the league’s top provider this season (4). His star has well and truly risen.
Highlight Stat: 5 GOAL PARTICIPATIONS
Joshua Kimmich (FC Bayern München)
You suspect that Joshua Kimmich is rarely content about anything other than perfection on a football pitch, but the Bayern midfielder can certainly look back on September in a positive light. That’s because the 26-year-old did something that very few people have managed in recent years: he was Bayern’s top scorer in the Bundesliga over the past month, scoring three times in three games to leave Robert Lewandowski in his wake. Two of those goals came in a scintillating performance on Matchday 5 as the champions thrashed Bochum 7-0 – Kimmich’s first Bundesliga brace in his 178th game. Yet it isn’t just in attack where the German international has shown he’s more crucial than ever. He’s become a leader in the middle of the park and will continue to pull the strings for a long time, having just signed a new contract until 2025. “
Highlight Stat: 3 GOALS
Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
Christopher Nkunku will have felt like the dam had finally burst after RB Leipzig’s 6-0 thrashing of Hertha Berlin on Matchday 6. Having started the season with some decent performances, the Frenchman was finally able to reap the rewards against the Berliners with two goals and an assist – he also won a penalty. The 23-year-old and his entire team put on a majestic attacking display as they scored away from the frustration of a difficult start to the campaign. Nkunku got things going with a deft chip over Hertha goalkeeper Alexander Schwolow before firing in a sensational free-kick for his first Bundesliga brace, in his 66th top-flight game. Nkunku had the most shots of all Leipzig players in September (10) – only two men in the whole Bundesliga had more.
Highlight Stat: 35,5 KM/H TOP SPEED
Erling Haaland (Borussia Dortmund)
You sometimes get those magic moments in football where time seems to standstill. One of those came in the 83rd minute of Borussia Dortmund’s clash with Union Berlin on Matchday 5, almost in slow motion: a long ball over the top for Erling Haaland to chase, beating a defender, and then lobbing the ball over goalkeeper Andreas Luthe into the net. A bit of Norwegian magic, but not the only time the BVB striker has proved his class recently. Haaland netted a total of four times in the Bundesliga in September – the top scorer for the month – and also set up another. It gave him a division-leading five-goal contribution alongside Florian Wirtz.
Highlight Stat: 4 GOALS
Leroy Sane (FC Bayern München)
September was the month when we finally saw the best of Leroy Sane in a Bayern shirt, silencing any doubters. The 25-year-old started three straight Bundesliga games for the champions for the first time since March and repaid coach Julian Nagelsmann’s faith with some fine performances. He scored twice and set up two more to give him the most goal contributions at the club together with Joshua Kimmich. The Germany international had a hand in at least one goal in all three of his club’s Bundesliga fixtures in September. That’s a feat only teammate Kimmich, Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Filip Kostic can also boast. It’s a marked improvement by the winger that’s also reflected in the numbers.
Highlight Stat: 4 GOAL PARTICIPATIONS
Christian Günter (Sport-Club Freiburg)
September in Freiburg was dominated by a feeling of nostalgia and impending change. “I’ve played here for 14 years and will of course miss the stadium,” said Christian Günter ahead of Freiburg’s final game at the Dreisamstadion, their home of 67 years. The club captain put on a fitting farewell with his teammates as the Black Forest club ran out 3-0 winners over Augsburg. Günter led from the front on his 300th competitive appearance in Freiburg colours, continuing his strong form down the left wing from the whole month. The 28-year-old has been a key factor in Freiburg’s longest unbeaten start to a Bundesliga season, leaving them as the only team alongside leaders Bayern yet to lose in the league this term. The left-back has also played his part in their new club record of only conceding four times across the opening six matchdays – in fact only shipping one goal in the whole of September.
Highlight Stat: 1 GOAL CONCEDED
