Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been named Germany’s player of the year by his fellow professionals, pipping FC Bayern München’s Robert Lewandowski to the honour.
According to the league official website, Aubameyang polled 19.7 per cent, coming out on top ahead of Lewandowski – last season’s Bundesliga leading scorer – by just 0.2 per cent in the vote organised by Germany’s professional players’ union, the VDV.
Though Dortmund finished runners-up to Bayern in the race for the Bundesliga title last season, they also claimed third place in the vote with Armenia international Henrikh Mkhitaryan completing the podium.
Weigl takes newcomer award
There was yet further cause for celebration at the SIGNAL IDUNA PARK as midfielderJulian Weigl, 20, overwhelmingly claimed the ‘Silver Arrow’, awarded to the league’s best newcomer. The youngster, who has been named in Germany’s UEFA EURO 2016 squad, earned 30.6 per cent of the vote with FC Schalke 04’s Leroy Sane second (15.5 per cent) and Borussia Mönchengladbach’s Mahmoud Dahoud third (13.9 per cent).
The ‘Silver Dug-out’ for best coach went to Dortmund’s Thomas Tuchel (27.3 per cent), who beat SV Darmstadt 98’s Dirk Schuster (15.7 per cent) and Hertha Berlin boss Pal Dardai (14.8 per cent.
Aubameyang and Mkhitaryan are joined in the Team of the Season by team-mate Mats Hummels, who will join Bayern this summer. Lewandowski has no fewer than seven fellow Bayern players in the 2015/16 season XI.
2015/16 TEAM OF THE SEASON
Neuer (FC Bayern), Lahm (FC Bayern), Boateng (FC Bayern), Hummels (Dortmund), Alaba (FC Bayern), Vidal (FC Bayern), Müller (FC Bayern), Mkhitaryan (Dortmund), Costa (FC Bayern), Lewandowski (FC Bayern), Aubameyang (Dortmund)