Maximilian Beier named March's Bundesliga Rookie of the Month!
Your votes helped Hoffenheim striker Maximilian Beier claim March's Rookie of the Month prize, ahead of RB Leipzig playmaker Xavi Simons and Borussia Dortmund defender Ian Maatsen.
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.
Winner
Maximilian Beier (TSG Hoffenheim)
Beier has continued where he left off in the Hinrunde with some sparkling displays in the second half of the campaign. Last month saw him score three times in four games, grabbing a brace in the 2-1 win over Werder Bremen on Matchday 24. Hoffenheim only found the net four times in the month, so Beier was responsible for 75 per cent of his team’s goals. His form earned him a first call-up to the Germany squad in March, raising hopes he may also be included in Julian Nagelsmann’s selection for the upcoming Euros on home soil.
The 21-year-old is shaping up to be a real goalscorer, and fired off 11 goal attempts last month, the most of any player in the Hoffenheim squad. He also puts in a shift for the team, clocking 131 sprints – only three players did more in March – dropping back into midfield or going wide left when needed.
March's other nominees
Ian Maatsen (Borussia Dortmund)
Following his winter arrival on loan from Chelsea, Maatsen has settled in seamlessly to life at Signal Iduna Park. He tallied two assists in his opening games, and has continued in that rich vein of form, starting all games across the month, and scoring his first Bundesliga goal in the Matchday 24 win over Union Berlin.
Maatsen played a key role in helping Dortmund win every game in March, a feat only matched by league leaders Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The 22-year-old Dutchman holds a central place in Dortmund’s play, averaging 91 touches every 90 minutes over the last month. He completed 89 per cent of his passes, and averaged 24 sprints, displaying his all-round game as a left-sided defender in Edin Terzić’s side.
Xavi’s talent makes him a master of all trades in the final third for Marco Rose’s men. The 20-year-old scored again in March, set up a further two strikes and won 59 per cent of his challenges, and also showed strong numbers in dribbles and duels. He has missed just one game this season – through suspension – and scored the opening goal for the sixth time this campaign to set his team on the way to victory in the Matchday 26 encounter with Köln.
No Leipzig player could better his two assists in March, nor his three goal involvements. His 19 passes before a shot were the second-highest across the division, and his 29 goal attempt involvements the third-most. Only two Bundesliga players won more challenges than the on-loan Paris Saint-Germain player in March, just another reason why the Netherlands international was nominated once again – as he has been every month so far in his maiden Bundesliga season – for the Rookie of the Month award.
Previous winners
February 2024
Maximilian Beier (TSG Hoffenheim)
Want more Bundesliga Action?
January 2024
Ian Maatsen (Borussia Dortmund)
December 2023
November 2023
Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen)
October 2023
Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen)
September 2023
Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen)
August 2023
Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen)
Find out more about Bundesliga awards
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