Who is your January player of the month?

Moritz Nicolas, Stefan Leiner and Robin Hack have been nominated for the Foals’ player of the month award for January by the club and Cichon Personalmanagement. Vote for your favourite now on the FohlenApp.

No other Gladbach player could hold a candle to Rocco Reitz between September and December, as the home-grown talent was crowned the Foals’ Player of the Month four times in a row. The midfielder won’t be defending his title in January, however, as he’s not among the nominees named on the FohlenApp this time around.

Gladbach fans now have to choose between Moritz Nicolas, Stefan Lainer and Robin Hack, who have been named Player of the Match in the Foals last three games. Hack scored a brace in the 3-1 victory over VfB Stuttgart, Lainer made his emotional comeback to the side against FC Augsburg, and Nicolas’ excellent performance helped the side secure a point against Bayer 04 Leverkusen. The vote is now open on the FohlenApp and will close at 23:59 CET on Thursday.

Robin Hack: Robin Hack has appeared in Borussia’s starting XI for the past five Bundesliga fixtures. The 25-year-old is visibly growing in confidence, which was particularly clear to see in the opening game of 2024 against VfB Stuttgart, against whom Hack put away a brace to secure a 3-1 win for the Foals. Just 21 seconds after kick-off, the midfielder opened the scoring with a picture-perfect strike thanks to an assist from Franck Honorat. Robin then hit home his second courtesy of Alassane Plea, doubling Gladbach’s lead by doing so.

Stefan Lainer: 239 days have passed since Stefan Lainer was diagnosed with cancer, and the defender was finally able to make his Bundesliga comeback in the home game against FC Augsburg. In the 71st minute, the crowd chanted and erupted into applause for the Austrian as he entered the pitch at BORUSSIA-PARK. “That was definitely the most emotional moment in my career. There are obviously some things that the coach will criticise, but the most important thing for me was just the achievement of being back on the pitch,” he explained. Lainer then proceeded to get over 20 minutes of game time in the following away clash against Leverkusen.

Moritz Nicolas: The goalkeeper once again proved to be a reliable back-up for the Foals in January. Nicolas was not tested very often, but made numerous impressive saves against both Augsburg and Leverkusen. His performance against the league leaders in particular was utterly sensational, which allowed the Foals to bring home a vital point from the BayArena. “I’m thrilled to have kept a clean sheet. That’s always the ultimate goal for a keeper,” he shared.

Player of the month (2023/24 season):

• August: Ko Itakura 
• September: Rocco Reitz 
• October: Rocco Reitz 
• November: Rocco Reitz
• December: Rocco Reitz
• January: ?