The 10 most underrated Bundesliga players in 2026

The Bundesliga is one of the most overlooked leagues in European football despite being one of the four most popular around the world in terms of overall interest, and while it lacks the same star power it has in the past, part of that is because so many of their best players do not get their deserved plaudits.

Here are 10 Bundesliga standouts currently in the 2025/26 season who are massively underrated and deserve a lot more praise, attention, and transfer consideration from other clubs around European football.

Hoffenheim CM Wouter Burger

Most fans have not heard of Wouter Burger, but diehard Bundesliga supporters know that the young Dutch midfielder has been one of the best overall players in the league this season.

He is an ideal deep lying playmaker with his ability to score and assist, create from deep, and win possession. With No. 6’s being in higher demand, Burger will start garnering just as much attention as Angelo Stiller soon enough.

Borussia Dortmund CB Waldemar Anton

Likewise, center back Waldemar Anton is overshadowed by his much more hyped teammate Nico Schlotterbeck, but when you actually value defensive consistency, you could argue that Anton has been the better player for Borussia Dortmund this season.

He is older, less athletic, and does not quite have the future upside of Schlotty, but Anton is also a great athlete in his own right and a wonderful passer of the ball who can score the occasional great goal himself. Anton’s ratio of defensive internvetions compared to one on ones allowed is highly impressive.

Stuttgart CB Jeff Chabot

The man who effectively replaced Anton’s shoes in Stuttgart, Jeff Chabot has been one of the best Bundesliga center backs in the 2025/26 season in his own right. Unlike Anton, Chabot is not a world class passer of the ball nor has he scored any goals of his own this season, but when it comes to shut down center backs who read the game expertly, Chabot has honestly been the best in the Bundesliga this season.

Hoffenheim LW Bazoumana Toure

Hoffenheim are back to being a factory of top young Bundesliga talent, and it is no coincidence that now they are back where they belong in comparison to their financial might near the European hunt.

There has been a lot of attention on young RB Leipzig left winger Yan Diomande, but Bazoumana Toure is having nearly as good of a season for Leipzig’s Plasstiker rivals.

Toure has five assists, 1.4 key passes per game, and 2.9 combined dribbles completed and fouls drawn per match, showing a level of creativity and ball progression that should have teams around European football watching the 19 year old much more closely than they are.

Hoffenheim CB Albian Hajdari

And young center back Albian Hajdari is the most overlooked of the many underrated, burgeoning talents at Hoffenheim. Hajdari has more than three combined tackles and interceptions per game, and there is not a better center back in the Bundesliga right now at winning the ball purely than the energetic Swiss international.

RB Leipzig AM Christoph Baumgartner

Christoph Baumgartner is one of the most productive and hard working attacking players in the Bundesliga. Despite posting eight goals and six assists as the perfect Dani Olmo heir, Baumgartner is also averaging nearly two tackles per game and is honestly a better player than the Spanish international, which is saying something.

His technical quality, close control, and leadership have made him the new, quiet centerpiece of the Leipzig midfield and attack, and teams just under the top club level like Borussia Dortmund should be thinking about him.

Hoffenheim AM Tim Lemperle

Another great Bundesliga attacking midfielder, Tim Lemperle has been another big time breakout star for Hoffenheim, and while he flies under the radar even more than Wouter Burger, he is also having a decisive season in the middle of the park for this team.

Lemperle has scored six goals this season and has so often come up with the goods in the final third when his team needs him to. The 24 year old German international deserves more attention.

RB Leipzig DM Nicolas Seiwald

While Nicolas Seiwald contributes nothing offensively, his defensive work is so incredible that he has to be credited with being one of the best Bundesliga players right now because of how many balls he wins for RB Leipzig.

He is the shield to the defense and the perfect base for the attack to build on, playing like two men in midfield with his ability to intercept passes and begin attacks with the first ball, allowing the forwards to fly forward.

Seiwald is averaging nearly four tackles and interceptions per game for RB Leipzig while allowing fewer than 0.5 dribbles completed per game, and those are ridiculous numbers for a defensive midfielder.

Hamburg LB Miro Muheim

Luka Vuskovic is the sensation for Hamburg, but the best player from the 2024/25 2. Bundesliga season has been just as good over on that left flank despite the players in front of him largely being invisible.

The 27 year old Swiss international has been active defensively with 3.3 tackles and interceptions per game while providing some of the prettiest deliveries from the left flank and from set pieces.

Muheim’s two key passes per game and four assists on the 2025/26 Bundesliga season are even more impressive when you consider how poor the Hamburg attack has been. Clubs in the Premier League should be watching him.

Mainz CM Kaishu Sano

Mainz have been big disappointments this season, and while everyone knows Bundesliga veteran attacking midfielder Nadiem Amiri, Kaishu Sano has broken out from nowhere to be just as impactful for the Pfalzers in 2025/26.

The 25 year old Japanese international is largely underrated because he does so much of his work with his positioning and defending. He has been nearly as good as Seiwald in that regard with 1.5 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per game.