BFW postseason breakdown: Most Outstanding Player

On a team loaded with stars and talent, picking one player as Most Outstanding on Bayern Munich over the course of a long season is an extremely difficult task. With so many players who were truly terrific at one point or another throughout the season, the competition when trying to select a player required a lot of brainstorming.

Different from which player held the most value to the team over the course of the season, this piece is focused on which player had the strongest performance on the pitch; and there were plenty to choose from on this roster. You have the scoring machine that is Robert Lewandowski, defensive savant in Mats Hummels, the terrific attacking duo of James Rodriguez and Thomas Muller, and right back extraordinaire in Joshua Kimmich among many other quality candidates.

Below, our writers laid out their own choices for the award, give us a vote in the poll if you agree or leave comments with your own ideas on whose performance was truly deserving of being considered Bayern’s Most Outstanding Player.

Chuck Smith

Joshua Kimmich. The midfielder-turned-right back has developed into a terrific weapon coming down the right side for Bayern. His two Champions League goals were each the catalyst of dominant, yet ultimately unfulfilling offensive play that carried the squad to keeping Los Blancos on their heels for two games. His performance was consistently good and the 23-year old has turned himself into one of the best in the world at his position. With six goals and 13 assists across all competitions and also a steady defender, Kimmich was my easy pick for this category.

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Ineednoname

Kingsley Coman. He was literally our best attacker this season. Defenses fell over trying to stop him. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for Coman’s injury in February, we’d be in a Champions League final right now.

Phillip Quinn

Robert Lewandowski. Few players can claim the consistency that Lewandowski brought to Bayern again this season. With 29 goals in the Bundesliga, Lewandowski has firmly cemented his place among the best to ever lace them up in the Bundesliga. Bayern are lucky to have him in the squad.

John N. Dillon

Sven Ulreich. We all prepared for the worst when Manuel Neuer re-fractured his foot and Sven put in a few shaky starts. But Sven not only put the yips behind him, he played the best season of his career, saving Bayern again and again. He may lack the foot skills and sweeper-keeper timing that makes Manuel Neuer so inimitable, but his stops in front of the goal were genuinely world class, and he has an uncanny knack for stopping penalties (just dive right!). Cheers to you, Sven! #SvenTheWall is no joke.

Brian Kellogg

Mats Hummels. This one may be against the grain here but he is the best center back in the Bundesliga bar none. A leader on the field and in the clubhouse.

Valentin King

Sven Ulreich. Ulle stepped up big time for Bayern this season. After a horrid stretch to begin his tenure between the sticks, Ulreich regained his confidence under Jupp Heynckes and had a career year, coming up with some amazing saves along the way. He probably deserved to be included in Germany’s provisional squad for the World Cup, as he was likely Germany’s second best goalkeeper this season.

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Jacob Dorman

Mats Hummels. If you had to choose a narrative or theme for a season, this year’s was performance under duress and uncertainty. Battered with injuries and inconsistency at the top, Bayern needed players to step up and moor the team in these choppy waters. No player exemplifies this more than Mats Hummels to me. The defense was arguably where we saw the most turmoil, but Hummels was always there providing stellar defensive work.

Mike Lynch

Robert Lewandowski. Despite all the annoying transfer rumors that don’t ever seem to go away, Lewa once again won the Torjaegerkannon and it wasn’t even a close race. He was outstanding this season, full stop.

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Tom Adams

Niklas Süle. Süle has impressed me this season more than I ever thought he would. He has been an absolute rock at center back for Bayern this season, having been called on numerous times in big-match situations for either Mats Hummels or Jerome Boateng. Süle fears nothing, no matter the caliber of the attacking opposition coming up against him. When he came in from Hoffenheim along with Sebastian Rudy, I honestly was not expecting him to play as much as he has, but he has completely surprised me for the better with how consistently good he’s been. I echo Jupp Heynckes’s opinion that he’s soon going to be one of the best center backs in Europe. He’s got it all; strength, speed, aggression, anticipation, tactical awareness, good distribution, and fantastic football I.Q.

Gopika CPB

Joshua Kimmich. This is a tough choice but I’ll go with Joshua Kimmich. He had a really amazing season. Carlo Ancelotti once said that he believes Kimmich can become the new Philipp Lahm and this boy has been proving that to be correct ever since. His transition from a midfielder to a right back is unbelievably amazing. There is nothing he can’t possibly do and the two Champions League matches against Real Madrid are great examples. More than anything, his passion and love for the club and the hunger to always have more make him extra special.