Bayer Leverkusen's Alejandro Grimaldo voted April's Bundesliga Player of the Month!
Alejandro Grimaldo has capped a superb debut Bundesliga season by picking up his first Player of the Month award after seeing off Harry Kane, Loïs Openda, Dani Olmo, Xavi Simons and Kevin Stöger to April's title thanks to your votes.
The Player of the Month award was created by the DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga in 2018/19, in cooperation with the Bundesliga's official licensing partner, EA Sports.
The award is decided through a two-stage selection process that considers both the players' individual performance data and a vote by fans and experts.
The key factor for taking a matchday into account is the month in which the Saturday of the round falls. In this case, the data refers to the performances of the players on Matchdays 28, 29, 30 and 31.
April winner
Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
Grimaldo was conspicuous by his absence from the starting line-up on Matchday 29 as Leverkusen faced Werder Bremen - that was first time this Bundesliga season that the left-back was not included in the first XI. Still, that didn't stop him from providing a late assist for Florian Wirtz as Die Werkself clinched their maiden Meisterschale with a 5-0 victory. Two weeks later versus VfB Stuttgart, he created a second goal of the month.
As such, he further extended his advantage at the top of the assists chart, taking his total tally up to 13, while no Leverkusen player unleashed as many as his nine attempts on goal. He enjoyed his best showing of the month against Union Berlin on Matchday 28, managing three shots himself as well as creating four for others, and only a sublime Frederik Rønnow save in the 11th minute prevented his free-kick from nestling in the top corner.
Harry Kane (FC Bayern München)
It wouldn't be a Player of the Month award if Kane wasn't nominated somewhere along the line. The 30-year-old Englishman has been Bayern’s main man throughout this campaign and again starred in April, ending up as the only member of the deposed champions’ squad to play every single top-flight minute. He fired off the most shots in the Bundesliga (20), and trailed Openda by only one goal as found the back of the net four times. He had a decisive impact, too, netting twice in his team's 2-1 win against Eintracht Frankfurt on Matchday 31.
'King Kane' is an absolute menace in the final third. On top of his own efforts, he also created five opportunities for those around him. Ultimately, Kane was involved in a shot every 14 minutes, something even Openda (16 minutes per shot contribution) couldn't keep up with.
Openda has, quite simply, been in stunning form over the past few months. Not only did Leipzig's centre-forward net a league-high five strikes in April, but he also led the way in terms of assists (three). Unsurprisingly, therefore, his eight goal involvements were the gold standard.
The Belgian's performances have been key to Die Roten Bullen's resurgence. They are now unbeaten in the last two months and won all four of their Bundesliga matches in April, with Openda starting and finding the back of the net on each occasion. Also, no-one could match his top speed of 36.1 km/h (22.4 mph) across the month.
Watch: April's other nominees
Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig)
Olmo is almost one-of-a-kind in the way he combines attacking threat and off-the-ball work-rate. With 13 shots and nine chances created, the Spaniard was neck-and-neck with Openda despite playing fewer minutes. In terms of tangible returns, he racked up one goal and one assist.
It is in his work rate where Olmo stood out, as he was involved in 98 duels in April - more than any other Bundesliga player. He ultimately prevailed in an impressive 47 percent of them, and his strong high press enabled him to win the ball in dangerous areas and set Leipzig loose on the opposing backline.
Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig)
Once again, the young Dutchman was at the top of his game in April. Although the 21-year-old was not at the summit in any individual category, he featured highly across the board as he displayed the consistency with which he has become associated. He ended up second for most completed dribbles (14) and assists (two), while he ranked third for most direct shot contributions (23).
No team managed as many as Leipzig's 13 goals throughout the month, and Xavi was creator-in-chief, laying on a team-leading 10 opportunities for his teammates. He wasn't only influential offensively, either, as he completed the most Leipzig turnovers along with midfield general Xaver Schlager.
Kevin Stöger (VfL Bochum 1848)
Unlike his rivals for this award, Stöger does not play his football for one of the division's leading outfits, which make his displays for struggling Bochum even more impressive. He was an ever-present for the Ruhr club in April and netted his maiden Bundesliga brace in his side's crucial 3-2 victory over Hoffenheim.
Add in one assist, and he contributed to three of Bochum's four goals between Matchdays 27 and 31. In fact, he regularly showed off his playmaking abilities, creating more chances than any of his Bundesliga contemporaries (15). Interim boss Heiko Butscher will be hoping Stöger can reproduce this level in the final few weeks of the campaign to ensure top-flight survival.
Previous winners
March
Serhou Guirassy (VfB Stuttgart)
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February
Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
January 2024
December 2023
Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
November 2023
October 2023
Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
September 2023
Serhou Guirassy (VfB Stuttgart)
August 2023
Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen)
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