Bundesliga: The top professional debutants in the past season
10th place: Luca Philipp, 24 years old, 6 games (TSG Hoffenheim)
Luca Philipp took on the difficult task of replacing Oliver Baumann in two different phases this season. He first took on the challenge in January and guarded the Kraichgau team's goal for five consecutive matches until Baumann returned. He was called upon again at the beginning of May: in the 4-4 draw against Borussia Mönchengladbach.
9th place: Andu Kelati, 22 years old, 8 games (Holstein Kiel)
The former Hoffenheim player's debut season can best be described as "mixed emotions." On his professional debut on the first matchday against his training club, he achieved the feat of being sent off with a second yellow card within 97 seconds. At the beginning of the second half of the season, he celebrated his first Bundesliga goal against TSG Hoffenheim. In mid-March, he was forced to accept the end of the season due to a knee injury and witnessed relegation only as a spectator.
9th place: Noahkai Banks, 18 years old, 8 games (FC Augsburg)
AS Roma or FC Augsburg? For the Hawaii-born Allgäu native, the answer is quite clear. A homegrown player, he made his Bundesliga debut in January 2025 and intends to continue his career at FCA, despite interest from Roma. He already demonstrated this during last season's preseason, when he didn't travel to the CONCAF U20 Championship with the USA to train with the seniors. He shares ninth place in the debutant rankings with Andu Kelati.
8th place: Kauã Santos, 22 years old, 9 games (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Kauã Santos's style of play unleashes a wide range of emotions: this season, it has ranged from fascination to speechlessness. In his new Bundesliga games, he made spectacular saves and shocked with a few mistakes, such as the own goal against Mainz. In mid-April, a bitter diagnosis followed: a torn cruciate ligament, just when it briefly seemed as if Santos had asserted himself as the new number 1 against Kevin Trapp.
7th place: Johan Manzambi, 19 years old, 11 games (SC Freiburg)
Johan Manzambi can look back on a more positive end to the season at SC Freiburg. After making his debut at the beginning of the first half of the season, he was absent from the first team for several weeks. However, things have improved significantly in the second half of the season. In the last five games, he has scored two goals and provided two assists.
6th place: Anrie Chase, 21 years old, 12 games (VfB Stuttgart)
Anrie Chase experienced many highlights in the first half of the season: his Bundesliga debut and Champions League debut at the Bernabeu against Real Madrid. At one point, he was even a regular in central defense for VfB Stuttgart. However, he hasn't played a single game for the first team since January. Regular appearances in the third division were followed by a torn muscle fiber, and VfB hasn't yet announced a precise date for his return.
5th place: Mats Pannewig, 20 years old, 14 games (VfL Bochum)
Eleven defeats in twelve matches is not a pleasing record. In his first professional season, Mats Pannewig had to learn a lot about dealing with setbacks. He hasn't been able to establish himself in the Bundesliga so far and has had to settle for brief appearances. Dieter Hecking wants to reward him with a starting place in the final game of the season. A sign of improved prospects for the upcoming second-division season.
4th place: Max Geschwill, 23 years old, 19 games (Holstein Kiel)
Max Geschwill made the jump from the third division to the first division this season. Holstein Kiel's new signing arrived from Sandhausen in the summer of 2024 and established himself in the Storks' central defense. At least in the first half of the season, the second half was rather bumpy, mainly due to injuries.
3rd place: Luca Kerber, 23 years old, 23 matches
Last season, Luca Kerber was part of the team that caused a sensation in the DFB-Pokal. In the summer of 2024, he moved from 1. FC Saarbrücken to 1. FC Heidenheim on a free transfer. His debut was initially followed by only substitute appearances before he established himself in the second half of the season and is now a fixture in Heidenheim's midfield.
2nd place: Max Rosenfelder, 22 years old, 25 games
The Freiburg native made his debut on the first matchday of the 2024/25 season and has since become an integral part of SC Freiburg's defense. At the end of April, he scored his first Bundesliga goal, which secured his team a 1-0 victory over VfL Wolfsburg.
1st place: Phil Harres, 23 years old, 26 games
Phil Harres began the current season as a new signing from the Regionalliga, and he will finish it as the player with the highest market value in Holstein Kiel's history. With eight goals and one assist, he became the Storks' second-best goalscorer and leads the league of debutants with 26 Bundesliga appearances. A consolation prize for KSV Holstein.
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