By Regan Horn@horn_regan

Bulinews Player of the Season Awards: 1. FSV Mainz 05’s Player of the Season

Nadiem Amiri was the overwhelming choice for Mainz’s Player of the Season, receiving eight of the ten votes from the Bulinews writing team.

Nadiem Amiri is the overwhelming victor for Mainz in the Bulinews Player of the Season Awards	Photo by Leonhard Simon/Getty Images

After entering the campaign full of optimism following a sixth-place finish in 2024/25 and the prospect of European football, Mainz endured a disastrous start to the season. Bo Henriksen was dismissed in early December with the club rooted to the foot of the Bundesliga table.

The arrival of Urs Fischer proved to be a turning point. The former Union Berlin coach steadied the ship and guided the 05ers to a respectable 10th-place finish, while also leading them to the UEFA Conference League quarter-finals. As a result, there is renewed optimism surrounding the club heading into the 2026/27 season.

At the heart of Mainz’s revival was Nadiem Amiri, whose influence on the team’s attacking play proved indispensable. Following a campaign in which he registered seven goals and eight assists, and with Jonathan Burkardt departing last summer, the responsibility on Amiri’s shoulders increased significantly. The 29-year-old responded in emphatic fashion.

Despite missing five Bundesliga matches between late February and early April through injury, Amiri still finished as Mainz’s leading league goalscorer with 12 goals. Time and again, he delivered in crucial moments, helping Fischer’s side secure valuable points in their climb away from the relegation zone. He also contributed two assists across the campaign.

STANDOUT PERFORMANCE:

While Amiri produced a number of decisive displays throughout the season, including impressive performances against Heidenheim and Hamburger SV, his finest outing arguably came in Mainz’s 2-0 home victory over Augsburg.

With the carnival atmosphere in full swing at the MEWA Arena, Amiri scored both goals to secure all three points. The creative midfielder was at the centre of everything Mainz did well, producing three key passes, nine accurate passes in the final third and five progressive carries, while also creating a big chance.

His contribution without the ball was equally noteworthy. Amiri won 45 percent of his duels, succeeded with half of his tackle attempts and made five recoveries as Mainz comfortably preserved a clean sheet.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

Two other Mainz players received votes from the Bulinews panel: Daniel Batz and Kaishu Sano.

Batz performed admirably after stepping in for the injured Robin Zentner, keeping four clean sheets and recording a 72 percent save rate across 21 appearances. The experienced goalkeeper has since secured a move to Borussia Mönchengladbach ahead of next season.

Meanwhile, Kaishu Sano established himself as one of Mainz’s most reliable performers. The industrious midfielder earned widespread praise for his relentless work rate and tireless displays, leading to many dubbing him the club’s “Iron Man”. The Japanese international is set to represent his country at the World Cup and is reportedly attracting interest from several top clubs across Europe.