Bulinews Player of the Season Awards: Borussia Dortmund's Player of the Season | OneFootball

After two years of relative instability regarding their league placement, Borussia Dortmund have finally steadied the ship. Although not always in the most convincing fashion, Niko Kovač's side ensured the runners-up spot with room to spare. At one stage, they even closed the gap to eventual winners Bayern Munich down to six points. With 12 games remaining, this margin widened and thus, forcing BVB to focus on sealing Champions League football.

The foundations of Dortmund's season was built on a strong defence martialed by Nico Schlotterbeck. Across the season, BVB only suffered five defeats, twice to Bayern while the other three came in the last six rounds. The German international was also calm in possession, maintaining 88.51% accuracy and finishing 24th-best in the league with 293 duels won with 292.7 kilometres covered.

Perhaps his most impressive attribute over the course of the campaign was his goal-scoring prowess. One of Dortmund's biggest weapons was undoubtedly their set-piece dominance. The 26-year-old registered five goals in total, of which three came from corners and free-kick deliveries. The fact the Westphalians have managed to extend his contract will be a relief ahead of next year too. 

STANDOUT PERFORMANCE:

Schlotterbeck's crowning moment of the 2025-26 Bundesliga season came on Matchday 17 in a 3-0 victory over Werder Bremen. The central defender only required 11 minutes of first-half action to leave his mark on the game. He shrugged off his marker Jens Stage to find space and head home a perfectly delivered corner from Julian Ryerson.

With around 15 minutes remaining, Marcel Sabitzer and Serhou Guirassy tagged on goals to ensure victory. Schlotterbeck almost assisted the Guinean striker in injury time, but Backhaus made a smart save. The 26-year-old's complete performance was rounded off by winning 100% of his tackles, maintaining a 87% pass accuracy and also playing two key passes on the night. 

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

There were a handful of other performers who also impressed in yellow and black this season. Julian Ryerson and Serhou Guirassy picked up a pair of votes each. The former produced the league's second-best tally of 15 assists, while Guirassy finished third in the race for the Torjägerkanone with 17 goals. Lastly, Felix Nmecha received one nomination for his fine displays in BVB's engine room.