A select group of players from the Bundesliga participated in an anonymous survey covering various topics, including the top attacking player in Europe for this season.
The annual survey, organized by the German publication kicker, allows 216 footballers from all 18 Bundesliga clubs to express their opinions on some of the most contentious issues in the sport.
For instance, Bayern Munich midfielder Joao Palhinha was voted the biggest disappointment among Bundesliga outfield players, while Bayer Leverkusen’s Florian Wirtz was recognized as the most impressive outfield player, garnering 28.2% of the votes.
Outside of Germany’s premier league, Lamine Yamal was acknowledged as the best attacking player in European football this season.
The young talent, who scored 18 goals and provided 25 assists across all competitions for La Liga champions Barcelona this season, received 53.7% of the votes, surpassing Ousmane Dembele (6.9%) and Kylian Mbappe (6%) to secure the top position.
Yamal’s teammate Raphinha, who has been previously considered a contender for the Ballon d’Or, ranked fourth with 4.6% of the votes.
What about players from England’s top division? Liverpool forward and Premier League player of the season Mohamed Salah placed fifth with 3.7%, while Manchester City striker Erling Haaland followed closely behind with just 2.8% of the votes.
In addition to forwards, the 216 Bundesliga footballers shared their views on the best defenders and goalkeepers in the world, with centre-back Virgil van Dijk emerging as the top choice after receiving 27.3% of the votes.
PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma led the goalkeeping category with 38%.
Hansi Flick was recognized as Europe’s best coach of the season for his accomplishments at Barcelona, receiving an impressive 31.9% of the votes, ahead of Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique, who recently won the Champions League against Inter Milan.
Other notable coaches such as Xabi Alonso, Pep Guardiola, Arne Slot, Simone Inzaghi, Carlo Ancelotti, and Mikel Arteta also received a portion of the votes, as illustrated in the accompanying image.