Eintracht Frankfurt's Kauã Santos named Bundesliga Rookie of the Month for September!
Kauã Santos has claimed September's Bundesliga Rookie of the Month prize, presented by Sorare. The Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper won the vote ahead of Bayern Munich's Michael Olise and VfB Stuttgart's Fabian Rieder.
>>> Get the lowdown on the Bundesliga Rookie award, presented by Sorare!
Specific criteria must be met in order for a player to qualify as a Rookie. He must be younger than 23 on Matchday 1 of the new season and cannot have started a Bundesliga match in any previous campaign. Furthermore, players can have accumulated no more than 450 minutes of action before the start of the Bundesliga season in question. That means that youngsters who have only made brief appearances in their careers so far and who have not yet had the chance to fully showcase their talents still have the opportunity to be named Rookie of the Month, presented by Sorare.
The monthly winners receive one of the coveted Bundesliga Rookie trophies, before vying for the Rookie of the Season prize. As well as the fans (40%), Bundesliga clubs (30%) and a panel of Bundesliga experts (30%) are part of the voting process.
September winner
Kauã Santos (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Talk about a quick start for Santos at Frankfurt. On the bench for the first two matchdays, an official statement arrived confirming that the Brazilian was now number two behind regular goalkeeper Kevin Trapp. On Matchday 3 against Wolfsburg, the Brazilian then stepped up. Shortly before the break, Trapp hit the ground after injuring himself. Santos came in, immediately radiated confidence and helped his teammates win against the Wolves. "Kauã did what we've seen from him in training over the past few months. He's a goalkeeper who acts very courageously," enthused coach Dino Toppmöller after his substitution. "We have confidence in him."
After it was announced Trapp would be out for a longer period, Santos's services continued to be required. Not that that was a problem for either coach Toppmöller or for the 21-year-old shot stopper. On Matchday 4 against Borussia Mönchengladbach, the Brazilian delivered a top performance. Santos made seven saves, the most of the entire matchday. In racking up that number, he kept his area secure and helped Eintracht to a 2-0 victory. On Matchday 5, Santos finally had to admit defeat twice, but with three saves he was still one of the pillars against the offensively courageous Holstein Kiel, against whom Eintracht won 4-2. Things are going well for Frankfurt with Santos in goal. The fourth-most saves in September - despite 45 minutes less playing time - and a 100 per cent win rate prove things are looking good for Eintracht's back-up custodian.
Other nominees
Olise is a youngster currently taking the Bundesliga by storm. Arriving at Bayern in the summer as the only offensive newcomer and, at just 22 years old, he has already developed into a candidate as a first-team regular. Although the Frenchman only came off the bench on Matchday 3 after two starting XI appearances at the start of the season, he promptly scored his first Bundesliga goal for the record champions. He earned his way back into the starting eleven on Matchday 4 - and put in a gala performance.
Olise showed a keen eye for making the most of space and duly put Bayern 1-0 up against Werder Bremen on Matchday 4. He subsequently shone with great dribbling and an assist to make it 2-0 - and all that before the break. In the second half, he unselfishly laid off for teammate Harry Kane, who made it 3-0. To wrap things up, Olise was on target again - completing a one-two with Serge Gnabry - before curling the ball beautifully into the corner to make it 4-0. That star performance allowed Olise a shared spot of third place in the Bundesliga's top scorer charts in September. Only Kane and Eintracht Frankfurt's Omar Marmoush were directly involved in more goals. At just 22 years old, Olise is already an important player for new Bayern coach Vincent Kompany, who explained: "He has a very special talent and is a good player. He couldn't have started much better here."
Anyone who followed UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany got a taste of what Rieder is capable of. “I played a top Euros and now I feel ready to help the team,” the Swiss said after his loan move to Stuttgart. Those words certainly rang true in September. After scoring a goal the previous week, the 22-year-old was into the starting XI for the first time on Matchday 3 and impressed against Gladbach with two fantastic assists that helped to ensure victory for VfB.
In that Gladbach game, on one occasion Rieder sprinted down the wing, beat Luca Netz and then played the ball in for striker Ermedin Demirović at the near post. The striker had only to apply the simplest of finishes to make it 2-1. It was subsequently one of Rieder's infamous set pieces that led to the next Stuttgart celebration. His accurate corner from the right brought Demirović into the action again, this time with a header and a goal for 3-1. Rieder wasn't in the starting XI the following week due to rotation, but despite the reduced playing time, the Swiss is at the top of some of the Swabians' September statistics. After defender Maximilian Mittelstädt, Rieder won the second most balls at VfB and had the third most shots on goal. “We expect a lot from him,” coach Sebastian Hoeneß said of his talented international.
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