2. Bundesliga
Your votes helped Freiburg win the Milka Fair Play of the Season award for 2024/25, following a poll comprising six sportsmanlike acts from across German football’s top two divisions.
Even in the greatest moments of celebration, gracious winners always find time for the defeated. That was what Freiburg did after their 2-1 win in Kiel on Matchday 33. The three points secured the Black Forest club a place in European competition, whilst ending Holstein’s first-ever season of Bundesliga football.
Instead of celebrating, the visiting players and fans stuck around after the final whistle to applaud the relegated hosts and their heartbroken supporters. It was a touching show of love and respect befitting the Milka Fair Play of the Season award.
Fan votes accounted for 40% of the overall total, with 30% from clubs and a further 30% from experts, including Bundesliga Legends.
Watch: All six nominated fair play moments from 2024/22
Lewis Holtby (Holstein Kiel)
Eintracht Frankfurt were looking to threaten the Kiel goal and had a number of players in the penalty area waiting for a ball to be played in. When it came, it went behind the goal for what looked like a goal-kick. But it had taken a barely perceptible flick off Kiel's Lewis Holtby, who then gave the match officials the thumbs up to confirm he had been the last player to touch the ball and that they should award a corner instead.
When Elversberg defender Florian Le Joncour fell to the turf in the penalty area on Matchday 4, he was clearly in considerable pain having badly injured his arm. The Darmstadt players immediately responded, grabbing a flag from the stands to give Le Joncour some privacy before clapping him off the pitch as he was stretchered away.
Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Leverkusen were in the Freiburg penalty area on Matchday 15 when the ball broke to Wirtz, who took a shot. Off target, the ball flew beyond the goal and towards the stands before striking a steward in the back of the head. Wirtz's first thought was to quickly jump over the advertising hoardings to ensure the steward was okay.
When Heidenham number one Kevin Müller took a blow to the head against Bochum on Matchday 32, everyone in the stadium showed their concern. None more so than Bochum's Maximilian Wittek, who carried the medical team's bag as they treated Müller. As the goalkeeper was taken off the pitch, both sets of fans chanted his name in a touching show of unity.
Raphaël Guerreiro (Bayern Munich)
Guerreiro had just received the ball on the right wing in what looked like a promising Bayern attack when Augsburg's Dimitrios Giannoulis crumpled to the turf in their Matchday 11 encounter. With his opponent clearly in pain, the Portugal international immediately brought the game to a halt to enable Giannoulis to receive immediate medical attention.