Bundesliga
Michael Olise has claimed October's Bundesliga Rookie of the Month prize, presented by Sorare. The Bayern Munich forward won the vote ahead of Holstein Kiel's Armin Gigović and Aljoscha Kemlein of Union Berlin.
>>> Get the lowdown on the Bundesliga Rookie award, presented by Sorare!
Specific criteria must be met in order for a player to qualify as a Rookie. He must be younger than 23 on Matchday 1 of the new season and cannot have started a Bundesliga match in any previous campaign. Furthermore, players can have accumulated no more than 450 minutes of action before the start of the Bundesliga season in question. That means that youngsters who have only made brief appearances in their careers so far and who have not yet had the chance to fully showcase their talents still have the opportunity to be named Rookie of the Month, presented by Sorare.
The monthly winners receive one of the coveted Bundesliga Rookie trophies, before vying for the Rookie of the Season prize. As well as the fans (40%), Bundesliga clubs (30%) and a panel of Bundesliga experts (30%) are part of the voting process.
October winner
Michael Olise (FC Bayern München)
A Rookie like no other, Olise is new to the Bundesliga but big things were expected of him when Bayern signed him over the summer. The recruit from Crystal Palace was brought in to revitalise Bayern’s attacks and intensify competition for places on the wing - and the France international has not disappointed.
After losing out to Eintracht Frankfurt’s Kauã Santos for the September Rookie award, Olise has provided ample reason to win the prize for October. The 22-year-old scored twice across the month – and what goals they were. He netted a beautiful curler in the 3-3 draw with Frankfurt and buried a brilliant direct free-kick in the 5-0 win over Bochum to open the scoring. In fact, only Harry Kane (13) had more shots on goal in October than Olise (11).
Furthermore, Olise won 59 percent of all his duels – a fantastic return for an attacker – and kept defenders on the back foot with an average of 31 sprints per game. Not only that, but the fact that 89 percent of his attempted passes found their target is incredible given the risk-taking nature of his game.
Players like Olise often attract a never-ending list of superlatives or comparisons with former stars. While such praise can weigh heavy for some players, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany has no concerns for Olise: “I don’t think he’s the kind of person to feel any pressure. He just enjoys playing football.” And fans certainly enjoy watching the right winger tear up the turf, too!
October's other nominees
Gigović might not be a household name anywhere except Kiel and the surrounding area at present, but the 22-year-old is working hard to make sure that soon changes. The midfielder, who joined Holstein Kiel from Rostov over the summer, is gradually gaining a reputation as one to watch among opposition fans.
On Matchday 6 he helped Kiel sensationally come back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 away to reigning Bundesliga champions Bayer 04 Leverkusen, earning the penalty from which his team equalised. On Matchday 8 Gigović was on the scoresheet himself in a narrow 2-1 defeat at VfB Stuttgart.
“I’m very pleased with his development,” said head coach Marcel Rapp of the Bosnia and Herzegovina international. “He joined us late on in pre-season and needed some time to settle. Now he's on the right track and can still get better.” Rapp also praised his player’s “dominance” and “good mindset” – factors that are reflected in the statistics.
Gigović contested more duels than any other Kiel player in October (60), winning a respectable 52 percent. He is also a hard worker, averaging 11.2 kilometres and 28 sprints per game throughout the month. If he keeps this up, Gigović will be known across Germany and beyond in no time.
Aljoscha Kemlein (1. FC Union Berlin)
Union Berlin are extremely proud of Kemlein, and rightly so, as it appears that a homegrown youth academy graduate is finally making the breakthrough as a Bundesliga regular at the club. The 20-year-old, born and raised in Berlin, has been at Union since the U13s and made his first-team starting debut in October against none other than Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 6.
“He’s caught the eye in training for a number of weeks and has been getting closer,” said head coach Bo Svensson of the reason to start Kemlein. “He’s done really well. It wasn’t just handed to him. He’s deserved it given his performances on the training pitch. He’s worked really hard to earn his spot.”
And Kemlein certainly repaid the faith in him. He more than held his own playing alongside Rani Khedira in central midfield against Dortmund and made a significant contribution to Union’s 2-1 win. He retained his place in the starting line up in Union’s other two games in October, and even scored his maiden Bundesliga goal in the 2-0 success in Kiel.
Additionally, he won 58 percent of all duels and covered an average of 12.2 kilometres per match. His pass completion rate of 74 percent certainly leaves room for improvement, but after just three Bundesliga outings that is to be expected – meaning there is plenty more for Union fans to look forward to.
Previous winners
September 2024
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