>>> 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.
March nominees
Olise continued his success story at Bayern in March, having already secured the Rookie of the Month award once this season in October. In the four league games played in this season’s voting period (the month in which the Saturday of a matchday falls always counts), the French international scored one goal and provided two assists. Olise is the only Bayern player to have played in all 27 Bundesliga matchdays and has eight goals and a division joint-second best nine assists. The 23-year-old is a real asset even for a Munich team that generally dominates games. Last month he had the most sprints, crosses, and corners, won 52 percent of duels as an attacking player and averaged 87 touches of the ball.
“Michael is astonishing. As soon as he’s on the ball, the opposing defenders are confused because they don’t know what he’s going to do. He’s completely unpredictable,” explained none other than Bayern legend Roy Makaay about Olise when speaking to French sports daily L’Équipe. Mehmet Scholl, who, like Makaay, is already in the record champions’ history books, also took a shine to the attacking talent signed from Crystal Palace in the summer: “Franck Ribéry brought a breath of fresh air to the Bundesliga because he was a player with a style of play that had never been seen before in our league. Olise has yet another style that had never been seen before, with his feints, his exceptional technique, and his shots that almost always hit the target.”
Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Brown, who was named Rookie of the Month in both November and December, has since become an integral part of Frankfurt’s starting eleven and consequently extended his contract early at the end of February. In March, the Germany U21 international started every league match for Frankfurt, racking up the second-most minutes of action. Brown, who has previously attracted attention primarily for his attacking prowess on the left wing in front of a back three, continues his impressive development. Last month, he played in a back four for his side, and demonstrated his qualities as a defender by winning the most duels of any Frankfurt player.
“You have to defend [Jamie] Leweling like that,” Eintracht coach Dino Toppmöller explained after the 1-0, Matchday 27 win against VfB Stuttgart, with the Eagles’ young protégé giving little room to Stuttgart’s talented Germany international. “He’s an incredibly clever player.” Brown’s attacking and defensive skills are complemented by his hard work and ambition – which, combined, make it almost a certainty that the 21-year-old will feature for Julian Nagelsmann’s senior international team in the not-too-distant future. Brown, who ran the longest distance, sprinted the most, made the most crosses, and took the most corners for SGE in March, said after his strong U21 performance in the 3-1 win against Spain during the recent international break: “Things are going very, very well. I’m proud that I’ve managed it this way so far. But I will not let up, I can promise you that.”
Matsima, who won the Rookie Award in January, didn’t miss a single minute last month for Augsburg – just as was the case in February, December, and November. The French U21 international defender undoubtedly played a decisive role in FCA conceding only one goal in the seven matches between matchdays 21 and 27 – and that was a penalty at the end of March. Matsima’s strength in tackling particularly stands out: he won an outstanding 72 per cent of his duels last month, even bettering his already solid Bundesliga average of 64 per cent. The 22-year-old also completed an impressive 89 percent of his passes.
At the end of January, Augsburg activated the purchase option for Matsima, who was on loan from Monaco and who now has a contract with the Bundesliga club until 2029. “Chrislain has developed very well at FCA. He has particularly impressed with his tackling ability and game intelligence,” Augsburg’s sporting director Marinko Jurendic explained at the time. Matsima added: “The support of the club, the team, and the fans made me feel welcome right from the start. I see the best opportunities here to develop further as a player and be successful.” The defensive giant subsequently backed up those words with action – and there appears to be no sign of him slowing down.
Previous winners
February 2025
