🇩🇪 OneFootball’s Bundesliga Season Awards 2023/24

After 11 years of Bayern Munich lifting the Meisterschale, a Bayer Leverkusen side led by Xabi Alonso ended their reign in the most spectacular fashion. Finally, after the relegation play-off, it's time to look back on the 2023/24 campaign.

Player of the Season 👏

You know what, I'm going to hand out a Leverkusen answer and a non-Leverkusen answer for some of these. Otherwise we'll just be talking about one team for a while.

It's a crowded field for Player of the Season even just looking at the champions but Alejandro Grimaldo is as worthy a winner as any. The left-back, turned wing-back, turned makeshift midfielder when tucking inside registered an unbelievable 10 goals and 13 assists in his maiden Bundesliga campaign, driving the champions' title charge.

For a pick outside of Leverkusen, Harry Kane is incredibly unfortunate to end his first season in Germany trophyless, having netted 36 goals in his 32 appearances for Bayern Munich.

Young Player of the Season 👶

Florian Wirtz, still only 21, was named the league's official Player of the Season and is impossible to ignore. The attacking midfielder has already had to deal with an ACL tear in his young career but his first whole season back to full fitness saw him manage 11 goals and 11 assists, consistently sprinkling stardust with his incredible ability to dribble past opponents, pick out a perfect pass, and make the right decision in every single moment.

Maximilian Beier (Hoffenheim, 16 goals) is well worth a shout and has been called up to represent Germany at Euro 2024 this summer but the non-Leverkusen selection has to be Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig, eight goals and 11 assists) who continued the incredibly bright start to his career.

Surprise of the Season 🤯

Bayer Leverkusen winning the title, of course! Beyond that, VfB Stuttgart delivered an incredible turnaround from 2022/23, when they survived the relegation play-off, to finish second with the highest points tally in the five-time German champions' 121-year history. Which brings us to ...

Coach of the Season 👔

Sure, Xabi Alonso guided his side to an unbeaten league campaign and a first-ever Bundesliga title, but Sebastian Hoeneß gives the Spaniard a run for his money.

Playing exciting, attack-minded football, Stuttgart scored the third-most goals in the league, led by superb duo Serhou Guirassy (28 goals) and Deniz Undav (18) up front. The standout performers run right through the team, with Waldermar Anton marshalling the backline, Angelo Stiller starring in midfield, and Chris Führich delivering out wide. The team improved to a man to deliver a campaign nobody saw coming and Hoeneß, who was incredibly unlucky only to draw with Leverkusen twice, deserves more credit than anyone.

Signing of the Season 🤑

Not just one signing but a host of them: in Alejandro Grimaldo, Granit Xhaka, Jonas Hofmann and Victor Boniface, Leverkusen used the summer to deliver more or less a new spine that laid the foundation for their historic league title.

Add in squad depth Nathan Tella, who delivered crucial moments when called upon out wide, and loanee Josip Stanišić (both players shone in the 3-0 defeat of Bayern) and it was the perfect transfer window.

Managerial Change of the Season 🔄

Mainz appointing Bo Henriksen was a masterstroke.

Before Henriksen: 21 games, one win, 12 points, 16 goals scored, -19 goal difference.

After Henriksen: 13 games, six wins, 23 points (the same as Borussia Dortmund in that time), 23 goals, +7 goal difference.

Survival secured against all odds.

Biggest Improvement of the Season 📈

There had been signs of Ermedin Demirović's potential but not enough for people to entirely make sense of links to Borussia Dortmund late last summer. Such links will not shock anyone anymore.

The Augsburg captain scored 15 goals and assisted a further nine — his previous best in three Bundesliga seasons was 12 direct goal involvements —  to keep unlikely dreams of Europe alive throughout the campaign.

Feelgood Story of the Season ❤️

A first ever top-flight campaign for 1. FC Heidenheim was a dream come true. They beat Bayern, they took two points off of Dortmund, and rather than being worried about relegation they ended up in Europe (thanks to Leverkusen's cup win) and will enter the Conference League play-offs in August.

Also, mentions for Christian Streich, an icon of the league who will leave Freiburg after 29 years at the club and 12 in charge of the first team, and Marco Reus, who called time on his Borussia Dortmund career and leaves the club as an all-time great.

Goal of the Season 😍

This has to go to Harry Kane for his goal from inside his own half against Darmstadt.

Game of the Season 🏟

Heidenheim's win over Bayern, coming from two goals down to win 3-2, was the stuff of dreams ... but it was surpassed by the very final day of the season.

The relegation play-off saw top-tier VfL Bochum face Fortuna Düsseldorf, who had finished third in the second tier. Düsseldorf won the away leg 3-0 last Thursday, setting up a dream return fixture in front of their own fans on Monday night.

But the dream soon became a nightmare and Bochum somehow rallied to win 3-0 themselves before sealing safety on penalties. It'll be another 1. Bundesliga campaign for them in 2024/25.