Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku beats Robert Lewandowski to Bundesliga Player of the Season award
May 16, 2022
Berlin [Germany], May 16 : Christopher Nkunku has been voted as 2021/22 Bundesliga Player of the Season, the RB Leipzig talisman overcame the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland and Patrik Schick to the prize.
Nkunku was one of six different 'Player of the Month' winners over the course of the campaign. The only difference is he won the award for a single-season record four times - in October 2021, February, March, and April 2022.
The 24-year-old scored 20 goals in 34 Bundesliga appearances in 2021/22, whilst producing 13 assists to help Leipzig recover from their worst ever start to a top-flight season and finish fourth.
He was the first player to reach double digits in both categories, while only 35-goal top scorer Lewandowski had a direct hand in more goals over the course of the campaign (38).
It was Nkunku's most productive season of Bundesliga football by a mile, the former Paris Saint-Germain attacker having scored or assisted 20 goals in 2019/20 and 13 in 2020/21. He received his maiden senior international call-up for his efforts, and earned his first France caps during the March 2022 international break.
Nkunku also played a blinder on the European club scene, registering 11 goals and three assists across 12 UEFA Champions League and Europa appearances. Among his highlights was a hat-trick against Manchester City in the Champions League groups, and a brace away to Italian outfit Atalanta that took Leipzig through to the Europa League semi-finals.
Nkunku will have the chance to add the DFB Cup to his Player of the Season award when Leipzig take on Bundesliga rivals Freiburg on 21 May in Berlin. A runner-up in 2020/21, he has scored three and assisted three en route to this season's final.
