Vote for your 2025/26 Bundesliga 2 Player of the Season!
Another fantastic Bundesliga 2 season is coming to a close, and although the league has seen some stunning individual performances, only one player can be named the Player of the Season. Check out the 16 candidates below and see who gets your vote!
Loris Karius, Soufiane El-Faouzi, Kenan Karaman, Fabian Reese, Mateusz Zukowski, Noel Futkeu, Isac Lidberg, Marvin Wanitzek, Philipp Hofmann, Fraser Hornby, Benjamin Källman, Lukas Petkov, Enzo Leopold, Filip Bilbija, Naatan Skyttä and Mohamed Ali Zoma have all made their mark on this Bundesliga 2 campaign, but only one can be Player of the Season.
Voting takes place exclusively on the Bundesliga app.
The winner will be decided via head-to-head knockout votes each day in the build-up to Matchday 34.
And voters can also enter the draw to win great prizes like jerseys and balls.
Get more on the 16 contenders below
You can see the results from the first round pairings here:
Schalke’s title-winning season has been built on defence, and so much of the credit for that must go to the man between the sticks, Karius. The 32-year-old has been in fine form this season, racking up a league-high 12 clean sheets and keeping out a league-high 20 clear-cut chances. He also has the best save percentage among first-choice goalkeepers at 74.5% and has kept out two penalties.
El-Faouzi has been Schalke’s midfield maestro all season, not missing a single league game. The 23-year-old works tirelessly for the Royal Blues and has covered the most distance in the league with 423.9 kilometres and ranks tops for intensive runs. He also comes third for duels won and has scored twice and assisted five to aid his team’s attacking cause.
Wanitzek has been a star for Karlsruhe for years now, but this campaign has arguably been his best yet. His tally of 15 league goals is a personal best, and when combined with his seven assists, he has been directly involved in 22 goals this season, a tally only beaten by Reese and Futkeu, who are both on 23. Wanitzek is also the only outfield player not to have missed a minute this season.
The Schalke captain has once again been phenomenal this season, leading his team to the Bundesliga 2 title. He’s scored 14 goals and provided a further five assists. His strike against Fortuna Düsseldorf on Matchday 32 was a historic one as it saw the Royal Blues hold out for the win they needed to return to the Bundesliga after a three-year absence. It was also the eighth time he had scored the opening goal of the game this season – a joint league high.
Watch: Resurgent Schalke back where they belong
Hertha Berlin’s talisman and captain, Reese, has been at the top of his game this season, leading the league in direct goal involvements, having scored 10 and provided a league-high 13 assists. He is also the player to have whipped in the most crosses from open play this season, with 174, a whopping 68 more than David Herold in second place.
Leopold has been the captain behind Hannover’s push for promotion this season. The 25-year-old has started every game in 2025/26, anchoring Hannover’s midfield and ranking top for touches of the ball in the entire league with 2,823. He has also scored three goals and provided four assists.
Petkov has been one of promotion-chasing Elversberg’s star performers. He is the club’s top scorer with 13 league goals, having also provided six assists. He has been particularly prolific in 2026, scoring 11 of his goals and filling the void left by the departed Younes Ebnoutalib. The 25-year-old is also one of the best dribblers in the league, ranking third for successful dribbles with 53 and causing defenders nightmares with his quick feet.
Naatan Skyttä (Kaiserslautern)
Skyttä has been in inspired form for Kaiserslautern this season, helping the team tick from midfield whilst also scoring nine goals and providing three assists. He was named Player of the Season so far over the winter break.
The Polish striker currently sits second on the goalscoring charts with 17, but having played considerably fewer minutes than many of those he’s challenging. His average of a goal every 105 minutes is one of the best in the league. Curiously, Zukowski spent much of his early career in Poland playing as a right-back and winger, before becoming the main man up front for Magdeburg.
The future Eintracht Frankfurt striker has had a meteoric rise in the last three years, going from playing fifth division football to the Bundesliga next season. He currently leads the Bundesliga 2 scoring charts with 18 goals, and all of that coming for a Fürth team in serious danger of relegation. Including his five assists, Futkeu ranks joint-top with Reese for direct goal contributions.
Lidberg has been the man behind much of Darmstadt’s attempted promotion push this season, scoring just one less than Futkeu with 17, whilst also providing three assists. None of his 17 goals have been penalties either.
Lidberg's attacking partner, Hornby, has also been at the top of his game this season. The Scotsman has scored 11 league goals and provided eight more.
Hofmann is something of a Bundesliga 2 legend, ranking the highest of all current Bundesliga 2 players for goals with 84. Twelve have come this season, and he has additionally provided seven assists. The 33-year-old also has the second-best shot efficiency in the league at +4.6.
Källman’s goals have been integral to Hannover’s promotion push. The Finnish striker has scored a club-high 14 in the league this season - a total that sets a Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 record for the most goals scored by a Finnish player in a single campaign.
Zoma, 22, is Nuremberg’s top goalscorer this season with 12 league goals, helping to push Miroslav Klose’s side up the table in the final weeks of the season. The Italian has also provided four assists.
Bilbija has been the main man up front for promotion-chasing Paderborn. The 26-year-old has 15 league goals to his name, including a four-goal haul in a thrilling win over Magdeburg, plus providing one assist.
