Bulinews Player of the Season: Gladbach's Player of the Season | OneFootball

Borussia Mönchengladbach may not be back where they ideally want to be just yet. Their push for the European football places came up short in the final few weeks, but Die Fohlen look a good deal healthier than the previous season where they finished just a solitary point above the relegation play-off. A team that once looked a shadow of their former selves appears to be rediscovering their identity.

One massive factor in rebirthing that iconic lore is Tim Kleindienst. After impressing while on the books of Heidenheim, the towering German striker made a €7million switch to Borussia Park last summer with a little bit of pressure on his shoulders to succeed. The 29-year-old fit Gerardo Seoane’s side like a glove and resharpened a once dull spearhead.

Kleindienst managed an impressive 16 goals and 7 assists across 31 Bundesliga appearances this campaign. Although not blessed with pace, he makes up for it with his sharp positional awareness and ability to bring teammates into the game. Perhaps his biggest talent is just how clinical he is inside the box – all 16 of his goals came from no further than 13 yards. Deadly.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCE:

Although the Gladbach marksman chipped in with 3 assists against Werder Bremen this season, it’s hard to look past his goal and assist on Matchday 2 as they overcame Ruhr rivals VfL Bochum 2-0. While a marginal offside ruled out Kleindienst’s first assist, the 29-year-old would open the scoring in the 66th-minute.

As Franck Honorat dribbled into the box and set off alarm bells in the Bochum defence, Kleindienst cleverly slipped to the back post where he anticipated the Frenchman’s cross to head home unmarked. On 77 minutes, Bochum coughed up possession and instead of shooting, Kleindienst bided his time to return the favour for Honorat to tap in from 4-yards highlighting his unselfish nature.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

A troublesome position for a vast swathe of the season proved to be between the posts as Gerardo Seoane’s side struggled with injuries and form dips. Picking up a more than deserved vote was Moritz Nicolas who laid claim to goaltending duties and boasted a remarkably high save percentage until an untimely groin injury curtailed his season. At 27, it would come as no surprise if the German shot-stopper took over from Jonas Omlin to start the 2025-26 campaign.