It’s been quite the Bundesliga season. The 2022/23 campaign provided us with one of the greatest title races in history whilst Union Berlin and Freiburg continued their excellent stories. On the final day of the season, nine teams still had something to play for whether it’s qualifying for European, or down in the feisty relegation battle. This campaign has been chaotic, with some excellent storylines throughout.
There’s some returning faces in our team of the season, such as Jamal Musiala, but there’s also players that have established themselves in the Bundesliga after just one season, namely Union Berlin’s Danilho Doekhi who arrived on a free transfer.
Here, we would like to present to you our Bundesliga Team of the Season.
Goalkeeper – Gregor Kobel (Borussia Dortmund)
Although finishing third behind Freiburg’s Mark Flekken (13) and Wolfsburg’s Koen Casteels (12), who played all 34 Bundesliga games, Gregor Kobel’s 11 clean sheets is remarkable. Let’s not forget that the Swiss stopper missed seven Bundesliga games this season and although a couple of noticeable mistakes, namely against Bayern Munich, Kobel secured some important points over the season for Borussia Dortmund as they missed out on the Meisterschale on the final day. Daniel Pinder
2nd – Frederik Rønnow (Union Berlin), 3rd – Mark Flekken (Freiburg), 4th – Koen Casteels (Wolfsburg)
Right-back – Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen)
Xabi Alonso’s mercurial wing-back has lured the attention of clubs around the European landscape. Leading the Bundesliga in take-on’s (88), Frimpong was a crucial component of the Bayer Leverkusen resurgence in 2023 and has formed a lethal partnership with the likes of fellow talents Moussa Diaby and Florian Wirtz.
He finished the season ranking 2nd in Key Passes from Carries and was a constant threat to expose opposing left-back’s who wanted to get forward. Possessing the dribbling ability of a natural winger and the increasingly efficient positional awareness of a full-back, the Dutch international is a unique match-up problem for opposing coaches and deservedly stakes his claim as the best right-back in Germany. Reece Edwards
2nd – Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich), 3rd – Mitchell Weiser (Werder Bremen), Kiliann Sildillia (Freiburg)
Centre-backs – Danilho Doekhi (Union Berlin), Matthijs de Ligt (Bayern Munich)
Not only has Danilho Doekhi been one of the stand out centre-backs of the season, he has also been one of the signings of the season. The 24-year-old joined Union Berlin last summer on a free transfer from Vitesse Arnhem and after a brief settling in period and a spell out injured, Doekhi has been a key part of the Union defence that helped them qualify for the Champions League. Doekhi even developed a habit of scoring late goals, scoring the winner against Borussia Mönchengladbach while also giving Union the lead against Hoffenheim. The Dutchman once again proves how great Union’s recruitment is. Jack Meenan
Matthijs de Ligt settled right in when he joined Bayern Munich from Juventus last summer. Without de Ligt in the team, Bayern probably would have found themselves further away from Borussia Dortmund. De Ligt scored two crucial goals in the second half of the season with a long range strike against VfB Stuttgart as well as the only goal in a 1-0 win against SC Freiburg. The 23-year-old has been the one constant in Bayern’s defence throughout the season and has proven himself to be a leader as well, often coming out to speak to the media after a loss. JM
3rd – Robin Knoche (Union Berlin), 4th – Micky van de Ven (Wolfsburg)
Left-back – Raphaël Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund)
A standout performer for Borussia Dortmund this season, no player created more goals in the Bundesliga than Raphaël Guerreiro (12). The Portuguese defender continued his development and established himself as a key player for Edin Terzic last season. It’s been quite the seven years for Guerreiro at Dortmund, who will leave the club in the summer when his contract expires. His form in 2023 saw a run of of 10 assists in nine league games, which helped Dortmund compete with Bayern. DP
2nd – Jonas Hector (Köln), 3rd – Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Mönchengladbach), 4th – Angelino (Hoffenheim)
Central-midfielders – Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Ellyes Skhiri (Köln)
If this was to be Bellingham’s last Bundesliga dance then he certainly made the most of it as he pocketed the leagues award for its Player of the Season. Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of Jude Bellingham’s game is that it continues to improve with every passing year.
The 19-year-old superstar was the spearhead of the Borussia Dortmund title challenge this season and was relentless in his efforts to be an all-action playmaker who captained Die Schwarzgelben in the absence of Marco Reus and Mats Hummels.
The England international added goals to his game and found the back of the net on 8 different occasions in the Bundesliga. He ranked 3rd in the league in possession won in the final third and managed to post the best take-on success rate (55%).
If this was to be Bellingham’s last Bundesliga dance then he certainly made the most of it as he pocketed the leagues award for its Player of the Season. RE
Ellyes Skhiri is a player that puts everything on the line and this season was no different for the Tunisian at Köln. In the 96th percentile for interceptions by midfielders in Europe’s top five league, Skhiri continues to show his excellent workrate, exceptional tackling and reading of the game and his ability to escape the press and progress the ball for the Billy Goats. A player that wears his heart on his sleeve, will leave after four years at the club. DP
3rd – Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), 4th – Rani Khedira (Union Berlin)
Attacking-midfielder – Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich)
A generational talent, Jamal Musiala was Bayern Munich’s best player last season, and he’s the player that won the Rekordmeister their 11th consecutive Bundesliga title after his 89th minute winner against Köln on the final day of the season. At 20, Musiala is already playing like a seasoned veteran. With 12 goals and 13 assists in 33 Bundesliga games, Musiala is rightfully deserving of a place in GGFN’s Team of the Season. DP
2nd – Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund), 3rd – Dominik Szoboszlai (RB Leipzig), 4th – Florian Kainz (Köln)
Wingers – Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen), Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
Diaby has been a pivotal part of Xabi Alonso’s ever-improving Leverkusen, who have come a long way since his appointment in early October. Die Werkself have pushed their way up the Bundesliga table, with great thanks to their flying Frenchman.
The 23-year-old has been unerring, eye-catching, and entertaining throughout this Bundesliga campaign, leaving the best Bundesliga defenders with little chance of stopping the winger. He has formed a formidable partnership with fellow GGFN Team of the Season inclusion in Jeremie Frimpong.
This fruitful relationship has led to Diaby producing 14 goals while collecting 10 assists in all competitions this season. This has meant that the Frenchman has ended the season as Leverkusen’s top marksman helping guide the side from a potential relegation battle to European qualification. Will Shopland
Despite an extended period of the season missed, Nkunku was able to pick up where he left off last season. The 25-year-old finished joint first in the goal scoring charts with 16 goals and if he did not miss nine games, Leipzig could have found themselves a lot closer to Bayern and Dortmund.
The challenge for Nkunku will be to try and carry on his form when he is to eventually move to Chelsea. However, with his performances in big games in the Champions League, especially against Manchester City last season, Nkunku should integrate well into the Premier League.
While for Leipzig it will prove very difficult for them to replace the influence and impact that the Frenchman has had on the team over the past few seasons. JM
3rd – Vincenzo Grifo (Freiburg), 4th – Jonas Hofmann (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Striker – Randal Kolo Muani (Eintracht Frankfurt)
The 24-year-old has had a breakout season to remember in the Bundesliga this season. After arriving on a free transfer from Nantes in France, Kolo Muani has proved to be one of the shrewdest pieces of business any German club has pulled off.
Kolo Muani has combined lightning pace and sumptuous skill with his decisive finishing to become the Bundesliga’s deadliest attacker. While the season did not end in the fashion Die Adler would have hoped for with defeat to RB Leipzig in the DFB-Pokal final, SGE will still find themselves in Europe next season in the Europa Conference League.
It has been a rollercoaster campaign for Eintracht with a potential Bundesliga title challenge appearing to be on the cards halfway through the season, before faltering towards the end of the campaign. However, with 23 goals and 17 assists in all competitions this season Kolo Muani has enjoyed a phenomenal campaign that has made him a household name across Europe. WS
2nd – Niclas Füllkrug (Werder Bremen), 3rd – Sheraldo Becker (Union Berlin), 4th – Marvin Ducksch (Werder Bremen)
GGFN | Daniel Pinder
