Many Team of the Season selections are, frankly, boring.
Sometimes, you couldn’t really call it a team; it’s just a selection of eleven players, and their actual positions don’t even matter.
Sometimes, it’s just an absurd selection because the idea is to pick only the players they think are the best.
So, here I am.
You can call me an idealist, but I wanted to propose an alternative team for the 2024/2025 Bundesliga season—it’s indeed a real team.
I’ve selected 11 players who I believe possess special attributes that make them deserving of consideration among the best in the league and who can complement each other.
I created this team using the 3-4-2-1 formation, which many teams have favoured.
For your information, this Bundesliga team of the season is not dominated by players from top teams, unlike other teams of the season.
So, here is your alternative Bundesliga Team of the Season by Total Football Analysis.
Listen to this article free on the Total Football Analysis Podcast via Spotify, Apple Podcast, or RSS.
GK: Nikola Vasilj – St. Pauli
Peter Gulacsi may have had the most clean sheets throughout the season, Finn Dahmen may have had the highest save percentage, and Manuel Neuer may still be the best sweeper.
However, no one prevented more goals than Nikola Vasilj.
Vasilj let in 39 goals this season, but the underlying numbers suggested he should have let in 47.4.
He stopped 9.4 chances that were expected to be goals—the highest number in the Bundesliga—and that’s what brought him here.
That number helped St. Pauli, who were in the bottom three for squad value in the league, finish 14th and avoid relegation.
Not only that, but they’re also the second-best team, after Bayern Munich, when it comes to conceded goals.
And that’s not all: No goalkeeper in the Bundesliga made more passes last season than Vasilj.
He performed exceptionally well for the team, which was fourth to last in terms of possession.
So, it’s another valuable skill from Vasilj.
He can be a flexible ball-playing goalkeeper.
He’s excellent at playing short when the team wants to build up more patiently and good at playing long if his team wants to play more directly.
RCB: Jonathan Tah – Bayer Leverkusen
Ideally, I would like to include Dayot Upamecano here, but it would be a bit unfair to include a player who didn’t play in more than 20 games throughout the entire season.
Jonathan Tah is, therefore, a more deserving candidate.
Why? His aerial ability.
He is fourth in the league for aerial duel success percentage among players who have played at least 1500 minutes.
Specifying aerial duels in their own box makes the statistic more relevant to defenders, and Tah is third in the league with a success rate of over 70%.
He is also among the elite in terms of ranking defenders who helped their team progress into the final third.
His pass success rate into the final third was 86.43%.
In general, only Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich made more passes than Tah among Bundesliga defenders.
Both players sent more than 2,000 passes throughout the season, but Tah had a higher success rate of 92.9%.
So, Tah is the defender who excels in aerial duels and is also excellent at ball progression.
This is what Xabi Alonso relied on at Bayer Leverkusen.
Tah is a leader, a commander, a progressor, and an aerial monster; Bayern will be lucky to have him next season.
CCB: Hauke Wahl – St. Pauli
I want to make this team more balanced.
Therefore, I have added a defender who excels in aerial duels and ball progression, and I would like to add one who excels in carrying the ball and defensive duels.
So, here comes Hauke Wahl.
He was another key factor in St. Pauli’s success, as they conceded the second-fewest goals in the Bundesliga last season.
Before we move on to his defensive skills, it is worth highlighting his ability to carry the ball.
In context, only Piero Hincapié has covered more ground progressively with his carries than Wahl among central defenders.
However, we need to understand that Hincapié plays for Leverkusen, who often face low-block or more passive opponents, which means there is ample space to carry the ball forward.
This wasn’t the case for Wahl, though.
The 31-year-old plays for St. Pauli, which means the team often plays more proactively against them.
This is where Wahl excels: he is brave enough to carry the ball forward under pressure and is key to Kiezkicker‘s ball progression.
Not only that, but Wahl is also excellent in defensive duels.
He is fifth in the league, among players who have played at least 1500 minutes, in terms of the percentage of defensive duels won.
You might think of him as a slow defender, but his defensive duel win rate of 74.73% indicates that he is a smart player.
My analysis revealed that Wahl excels at maintaining momentum: he knows the optimal time to challenge his opponent, which is typically when they are facing their own goal, making them more vulnerable.
Given that he has one of the best records among defenders, it’s clear why Wahl deserves a place on this list more than anyone else.
LCB: Arthur Theate – Eintracht Frankfurt
No other defender in the Bundesliga made more progressive passes, more accurate through passes or more smart passes (according to Wyscout’s definition).
And only one other centre-back made more passes into the final third than this man, Arthur Theate.
These statistics demonstrate Theate‘s value as a ball-playing centre-back.
He is excellent at distributing the ball and is pivotal to Eintracht Frankfurt‘s progression in the 2024/2025 season.
As a defender, Theate is adept at finding free space to receive the ball, making it easy for him to move forward with a carry or pass.
He is also brave enough to play the through ball directly to the forwards, often helping Frankfurt to progress more directly towards the final third or the opponent’s penalty area.
As he plays on the left side of a three-man defence and is left-footed, Theate can find good angles to progress the ball, making Frankfurt’s attacks less predictable.
During the out-of-possession phase, Theate is also smart at reading the game as a defender.
He is in the top 10 for total interceptions in the Bundesliga, which shows another of his strengths.
These numbers, achieved in his first season in the Bundesliga, are even more impressive.
Theate has been important for Frankfurt and was instrumental in the team’s finishing third.
He then completed this team of the season selection at the back.
His distribution and interception capabilities complemented those of Tah and Wahl to form a solid defensive unit.
RWB: Mitchell Weiser – Werder Bremen
Five goals and eight assists is an impressive tally for a wing-back.
Those were the numbers that Mitchell Weiser collected for Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga last season.
Weiser is arguably the best lateral defender in the league, as he excels in many statistical categories.
He is one of the best chance creators among defenders.
The 31-year-old is also the best defender in the league for smart passes, demonstrating his creativity.
One of Weiser‘s strengths that deserves mentioning is his effectiveness as a target in the final third.
In the Ole Werner system at Bremen, Weiser plays as a right wing-back.
He has the freedom to move forward and position himself in the penalty box as a passing option.
He is not just a classic wing-back who overlaps and then sends numerous crosses.
He often moves diagonally to the box.
This is an area in which he excels.
He is neither tall nor physically gifted, but he excels at finding space and momentum, allowing him to receive the ball faster or more intelligently than his opponent’s defender.
He is also among the top players in the league and one of the best defenders in terms of the number of progressive passes received.
Only Jeremie Frimpong made more touches in the penalty box than him.
However, since Frimpong sometimes played as a wide midfielder, Weiser’s talent as a defender in the final third can be considered the best.
In short, he is an elite defender in terms of creation and production, which is the key reason he is on this list.
RCM: Nadiem Amiri – Mainz 05
No other player in the Bundesliga won possession more than Nadiem Amiri.
This is a key statistic that explains why he was selected for this Best XI team.
Amiri is better known for his offensive contributions to Mainz 05 and is an elite distributor.
For example, in the 2024/25 season, he ranked fifth for total progressive passes and sixth for total key passes.
In the statistics for passes to the final third, where players from possession-oriented teams dominate, Amiri ranked tenth.
Amiri is also the second-best player in terms of expected threat per 90 minutes, as he can increase Mainz‘s chances of scoring via pass or cross when he has the ball.
He is the second-best player in the league for second assists, demonstrating his value to Mainz’s possession game.
Amiri is, indeed, the general of their midfield.
Furthermore, his ability to play defensively makes him an even more valuable player.
He is the two-round midfielder that many teams dream of.
Defensively, alongside his midfield partner, Kaishu Sano, Amiri was key to Mainz’s aggressive high pressing and counter-pressing.
They often made tackles or duels in the opponent’s area to successfully disrupt the counterattack or regain possession of the ball.
They are particularly adept at timing their defensive actions, which increases their effectiveness.
This aspect was one of the key factors in Mainz’s brilliant season, in which they finished sixth and secured a place in Europe this season.
LCM: Jens Stage – Werder Bremen
Ideally, Joshua Kimmich would have filled this position because he led many progression statistics in the 2024/25 Bundesliga season.
However, as the team already has many good progressors, distributors, and creators, a different type of midfielder was needed for this Best XI.
Here is Jens Stage of Werder Bremen.
Stage may not top any specific statistics.
But consider the following facts: no central midfielder in the Bundesliga last season had more goal contributions than Stage.
He scored 10 goals and provided five assists.
All of his goals came from non-penalty situations.
Moreover, he achieved this while playing for the team Werder Bremen.
One thing that needs to be highlighted about Stage is how smart he is at finding free space.
He knows where to position himself to receive the ball, shoot or pass.
He is arguably the best box-crashing midfielder in the Bundesliga.
When it comes to arriving late in the box, Stage has a real knack for knowing the right time to do so.
Since he often runs from the second line, he knows how to arrive in the box unmarked and is, therefore, able to receive and shoot the ball without any pressure.
He also has a good sense of where to position himself during set-piece situations, and some of his goals have come from set-pieces when he has successfully found the free space to receive the ball.
His ability to find good space is why he is among the elite midfielders in terms of expected goals per shot. Stage knows how to create a high-quality shot.
LWB: Maximilian Mittelstädt – VfB Stuttgart
Maximilian Mittelstädt is renowned for his attacking ability.
He is also an elite crosser, having sent the most crosses in the league and achieved a 40% accuracy rate.
He also creates chances, producing the highest number of key passes per 90 minutes among Bundesliga defenders in the 2024/2025 season.
The VfB Stuttgart player collected a total of seven assists.
These are exceptional numbers for a full-back.
However, what sets Mittelstädt apart is his defensive ability.
No other Bundesliga defender made more tackles and interceptions combined than Mittelstädt this season.
He won 72.6% of his tackles when challenging opponents’ dribbles.
And no one made more successful tackles than him.
Not only that, Mittelstädt also won 67.5% of his ground duels while competing more than 200 times.
He is an elite defender, so the 28-year-old is on this Best XI list.
What makes Mittelstädt special in defence is his ability to judge when to challenge opponents.
His decision-making when it comes to jumping into a duel is good—he knows when to wait for the right moment.
His body language is also effective when closing down opponents or intercepting the ball, and his all-around ability as a full-back makes him one of the best in the Bundesliga.
RW: Michael Olise – Bayern Munich
It is a remarkable achievement to contribute 27 goals in your first season at a new club and in a new league.
Topping the assists table also demonstrates your exceptional vision, which is precisely what Michael Olise achieved.
Having just arrived from England, he quickly became a standout player in the Bundesliga.
He topped many statistics, particularly those related to creativity.
No other Bundesliga player this season has created more chances through open play than Olise.
No player sent the ball to the opponent’s box more frequently than Olise.
No player has more expected assists or expected assisted goals than the Frenchman.
The list could go on if we wanted to find more examples.
Playing for Bayern Munich may help, as you spend more time in the final third than any other team.
Having Harry Kane as a teammate is also beneficial if you are good at creating chances.
However, Olise’s play shows just how exceptional his vision is.
He knows how to pass the ball at the moment when the opponent is not yet ready to intercept or disrupt it.
He also knows how to find good spaces to run into or position himself so that he can receive the ball in a position that increases the danger of scoring.
His movement when making shots is also hard to predict.
He is the kind of player who can create space for himself to shoot, especially when cutting inside.
With his creativity and ability to create good moments for himself, Olise is on the right track to dominating the Bundesliga for many seasons to come.
And remember, he is only 23.
LW: Florian Wirtz – Bayer Leverkusen
This is also an obvious choice.
Florian Wirtz continues flourishing with Bayer Leverkusen, leading the way in several creative statistics in the 2024/2025 Bundesliga season.
He is the midfielder with the highest expected goals plus expected assists.
No other Bundesliga player made more intelligent passes than him, and no one has more second assists than this 21-year-old.
Wirtz could have topped more statistics if injuries hadn’t disrupted his season.
Nevertheless, his 10 goals and 12 assists demonstrate his value as an attacking midfielder and his consistency.
He is the creative hub of Bayer Leverkusen.
His creativity and impact on Leverkusen’s attack are undeniable.
However, one thing that needs to be highlighted is how smart he is at finding space to help his team progress the ball forward.
If Leverkusen’s build-up play stalled, Wirtz would drop back to find space, allowing his teammates to send the ball to him and move it forward.
If the opponents limited the space in their own half, Wirtz would continue to move, either drawing the opponents in or finding space for himself, ensuring the attack could continue.
He is the type of player who ensures his team’s attack moves forward, and if things get disrupted, he can decide and finish the attack himself.
CF: Sehrou Guirassy – Borussia Dortmund
I apologise, but Harry Kane is not included on this list.
His ability to score 35 goals and provide assists in a single season is remarkable—he’s a complete striker.
However, there is someone else we need to talk about: Serhou Guirassy, who has been selected for this Bundesliga team of the year ahead of any other player.
Firstly, he tops the Bundesliga charts for non-penalty goals.
I fully respect penalty goals, as they also require technical ability and the ability to handle pressure, like any other goal.
However, the fact that, among players who have shot at least 30 times, he has the best xG per shot ratio of 0.26 shows that Guirassy knows how to time and position his shots perfectly.
This ability is crucial since he plays for Borussia Dortmund, who really need efficiency in front of goal.
Guirassy’s 18 non-penalty goals were one of the reasons BVB secured a spot in the UEFA Champions League.
Another reason the 28-year-old is in this squad is that he is also very effective in Dortmund’s build-up play.
Kane does the same, but people barely talk about Guirassy doing this.
He often drops to become a passing target because he is good at holding the ball.
Not only that but by dropping deep, he also triggers opponents to jump on him, thus creating space for other players to run into.
This is very beneficial for Dortmund since, under Niko Kovač tactics, they often attack their opponents directly with fast players who attack the free space created by Guirassy.
Conclusion
So, there you have it—this is TFA’s Bundesliga Team of the Season for 2024/2025.
Our team is data-led and aims to remove biases towards big-name players.
We’ve ended up with no more than two players from any one team, providing a fairly representative team for the league from this past season.
