Freiburg's Matanovic and Engelhardt nominated for Bundesliga Player of the Month

SC Freiburg forwards Igor Matanovic and Yannik Engelhardt are among the six nominees for the Bundesliga Player of the Month award for September 2026.

SC Freiburg have two players nominated for the Bundesliga Player of the Month award for September 2026. Forwards Igor Matanovic and Yannik Engelhardt are among the six candidates shortlisted for their performances across matchdays two to four of the 2026/27 season.

Matanovic scored twice in the 5-0 home win over Borussia Mönchengladbach and finished the month as Freiburg's most prolific attacker with three goals and one assist. The Croatia international led the team with eleven shots on goal and operates as the focal point in manager Julian Schuster's preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. Engelhardt also netted twice in September, including the opening goal against Gladbach, sharing the internal scoring lead for the month with Matanovic and Maximilian Eggestein.

The dual nomination highlights Freiburg's strong start to the campaign, which sees them sitting third in the table with ten points from four unbeaten games. The vote, conducted in cooperation with EA SPORTS, remains open. The other nominees are Bayern Munich's Michael Olise, Mainz's Phillip Tietz, Bayer Leverkusen's Miguel Gutiérrez and VfB Stuttgart's Maximilian Mittelstädt.

For Freiburg, having two players in contention shows their effective attacking play. The team has scored twelve goals this season and next faces 11th-placed FC Schalke 04 at home on October 10th.