Nathaniel Brown, Konstantinos Koulierakis and Phil Harres nominated for November Rookie of the month - Vote now!

>>> 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.

November nominees

Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt)

Nathaniel Brown joined Eintracht Frankfurt in January 2024, almost a year ago now. However, the left-footer initially remained on loan at Nürnberg, where he had worked his way up from the U17’s to the first team and firmly established himself as a key player in Bundesliga 2 during the 2023/24 season. In the summer, he made the step up to Frankfurt and the Bundesliga. After a promising pre-season, Brown was initially left out entirely at the start of the season. It wasn’t until the Matchday 5 that the 21-year-old was included in Frankfurt’s Bundesliga squad for the first time, and he had to wait until Matchday 8 for his debut. He came on as a substitute in the final minutes of their 1-1 draw at Union Berlin, marking the beginning of what would become a meteoric rise.

Brown started all four Bundesliga matches in November. However, he didn’t just blend into the background, as might be expected from a young player with no Bundesliga experience. Instead, his performances saw him stand out. He scored his first Bundesliga goal with his very first shot in the division in the 7-2 win at home to Bochum. He then added another in the following 3-2 victory against VfB Stuttgart. The 4-0 triumph in Heidenheim on Matchday 12 turned into not just a showcase for Omar Marmoush but also for Brown, who assisted both of the Egyptian’s goals and was also involved in Farès Chaïbi’s goal to make it 2-0, even if it wasn’t officially recorded as an assist. Four appearances in November – two as a left-back, two as a left winger – and four goal contributions is a record that speaks for itself. “This is simply a reward for his efforts,” praised head coach Dino Toppmöller, who spoke of Brown’s early days, saying, “It makes me proud to see how he handled the situation.” And who knows, perhaps the Rookie Award would make the coach even prouder of his protégé.

Konstantinos Koulierakis (VfL Wolfsburg)

Wolfsburg pulled off an excellent signing at the end of August. With the nickname ‘The Hammer’ in tow, Konstantinos Koulierakis arrived in Germany after successfully securing UEFA Europa League qualification with Greek side PAOK. Having only been with the squad for a short time, head coach Ralph Hasenhüttl initially kept ‘The Hammer’ in his toolkit. It wasn’t until Matchday 4 that the powerful centre-back made his first start for the Wolves, initially playing in the somewhat unfamiliar role of left-back. However, the Greece international has since established himself at the heart of the Wolfsburg defence, delivering outstanding performances.

The 21-year-old didn’t miss a single Bundesliga minute in November and played a key role in ensuring Wolfsburg went unbeaten last month (three wins, one draw). During this period, he won an impressive 66 percent of his duels and also proved to be a crucial anchor in build-up play. The summer signing was heavily involved on the ball (averaging 82 touches per 90 minutes) and boasted an excellent pass completion rate of 89 percent. He provided the assist with a header for Joakim Mæhle to make it 4-0 in Wolfsburg’s emphatic 5-1 victory in Leipzig – his first goal contribution in the Bundesliga. The Wolves can now confidently say their summer signing has been a success. “We’re confident he will adapt quickly to the Bundesliga and take the next steps in his development here,” said club managing director Peter Christiansen at the time. Thanks in part to these strides made by their defensive ‘Hammer’, Wolfsburg smashed their way up the table from 14th to eighth place in November.

Phil Harres (Holstein Kiel)

To be eligible as a Rookie, a player must be young and have little to no Bundesliga experience prior to the start of the season. Even so, it’s rare to find candidates who were as far removed from top-flight football the previous year as Phil Harres. Standing at 1.93 metres tall, the striker made headlines with 24 league goals for Homburg in the Regionalliga Südwest, Germany’s fourth tier. It was therefore a bold move by Holstein Kiel to trust Harres with skipping two divisions and sign him ahead of their debut Bundesliga season. Initially, it seemed as though the Bundesliga was perhaps a step too far for the 22-year-old. His appearances at the start of the season were once again confined to the Regionalliga, this time for Kiel’s second team.

However, Harres, who had previously played for Preußen Münster, Dynamo Dresden, Ulm, Viktoria Berlin and Homburg at youth and senior levels, wasn’t deterred. He persevered and kept working hard. “I knew when I came to Kiel that I wouldn’t immediately be a first-team regular,” Harres explained after his first Bundesliga start in early November against Heidenheim, a match that resulted in Kiel’s first-ever Bundesliga victory. Holstein coach Marcell Rapp continued to back the young up-and-comer, starting him in all three subsequent matches in November. “Young players need to be trusted and given the chance to play in the Bundesliga,” said Rapp. That trust was repaid by Harres, who netted two goals last month. Most impressive was his strike against Werder Bremen, where he thundered the ball into the top right corner from 20 metres out at a speed of 123 km/h. Harres admitted he would have enjoyed his goals more had the matches against Bremen and St. Pauli not ended in defeats. Still, the striker’s remarkable progress leaves plenty to aim for. Scoring a winner in the Bundesliga would surely be as satisfying for him as adding a Rookie of the Month trophy to his collection.

Previous winners

October 2024

Michael Olise (FC Bayern München)