Vote for your December Player of the Month

Alassane Plea, Yann Sommer, Breel Embolo, Lars Stindl and László Bénes are up for December’s Player of the Month award, presented by Borussia and Cichon Personalmanagement. You can vote for your winner on the FohlenApp.

December was a busy month for the Foals as they played a total of seven competitive matches, with two in the Champions League, four in the Bundesliga, and a DFB-Pokal clash. Five players were voted Man of the Match from these seven. Alassane Plea was the standout performer in the narrow 3-2 loss to Inter Milan in the Champions League, while Yann Sommer won the award twice throughout the month for his display in the 2-2 draw against SC Freiburg and in the 2-0 defeat away at Real Madrid in the final group stage match of the Champions League. Breel Embolo took the vote in the home 1-1 draw against Hertha BSC, before Lars Stindl awarded Man of the Match in two consecutive games after his hattrick in the 3-3 draw in Frankfurt and in the 2-1 loss to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim. The last match of 2020 saw László Bénes scoop the award in the 5-0 victory over SV Elversberg in the 2nd round of the DFB-Pokal.

You can now choose between these five players for December’s Player of the Month award. Voting is open on the Fohlen app and will close at midnight on Wednesday.

Alassane Plea: The vote for Man of the Match following the Foals’ defeat to Inter Milan in the Champions League saw Plea convincingly take the award, with 79% of all votes cast. The Frenchman netted twice, first to equalise and then again to set up a tense finish at BORUSSIA-PARK, before beating Handanović again late on but seeing his strike disallowed for offside. Despite his performance, the 27-year-old could not prevent the Foals’ first defeat in the group stages, but saw his efforts rewarded by fans as he was voted the standout player.

Yann Sommer: Borussia's keeper won the Man of the Match vote twice in a row in December. 52% of votes cast went to the 32-year-old in the 2-2 draw to SC Freiburg after his brilliant goalkeeping during the final phase of the game that earned Marco Rose’s team a point on the road, though his first half stop to keep out Ermedin Demirović was also eye-catching. The vote following the 2-0 loss to Real Madrid was much clearer as Sommer won 80% of fans’ votes thanks to a series of great saves, including a sensational stop at full stretch to deny Sergio Ramos in the second half. The Swiss international did not have much to say about the defeat after the final whistle, instead focusing on the fact that Borussia had got to the knock-out stages for the first time in the club’s history. “We’re just happy to have progressed to the next stage. I feel it is well-deserved because we put in some very convincing performances in the previous five games.”

Breel Embolo: Embolo took the captain’s armband for the first time in the home clash against Hertha BSC on 12th December and led by example, showing full commitment and fighting for everything as well as netting the equaliser in the 70th minute. A good ball into the area from Florian Neuhaus was headed to the far post by Matthias Ginter, where the Swiss international was on hand to direct the ball home with his knee. “Breel took the armband for the first time and completely lived up to the role. He showed his willingness to take responsibility and drove us forward, especially in the second half,” said coach Marco Rose following the draw. The fans also recognised his stellar showing as they paid tribute to the attacker's good performance by voting him Man of the Match with 35% of the votes cast.

Lars Stindl: Borussia’s captain put in a top performance when the Foals drew 3-3 at Eintracht Frankfurt on matchday 12 of the Bundesliga season as his hattrick ensured the Foals left with a point. The voting for Man of the Match on the FohlenApp was as clear as it has ever been, with 93% voting for the hattrick hero. He scored the opener with a direct free kick from almost 25 metres, and he continued to work tirelessly, but with little reward for his efforts. That was until late in the game, when Stindl pulled it back to 3-2 with a well-taken penalty. He got his third in the fifth minute of injury time, heading in a Ibrahima Traoré cross for a last-minute equaliser. After extending his contract with the Foals until 2023, he scored the opener to put Borussia in the lead in the following game against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, only to lose 2-1. It was the captain’s tenth successfully converted penalty in a row. Five of those goals from the spot came this season (four in the Bundesliga, one in the Champions League). Voting for man of the match saw Stindl win 51% of the vote.

László Bénes: The Slovak played a full 90 minutes for the Foals for the first time in over a year against SV Elversberg in the DFB-Pokal, putting in a strong performance in the process. The Borussia fans appreciated his efforts, naming him Man of the Match with 34% of the vote. The midfielder scored to put the Foals 2-0 up with a brilliant curling effort into the top-left corner. Bénes almost scored a second as two long-range efforts went just centimetres over the bar. He was the driver of Borussia’s attacking play. “I’m pleased for Laci that he could show what he can do. He worked hard for the side and scored a great goal. There’s a lot of competition in his position, but we have faith in him,” said head coach Marco Rose.