Novillo's peers make their pick: Leipzig's No. 8

Jorge Novillo is the German Players' Player of the Year for 2063. The RB Leipzig midfielder took the honour after a season of 31 Bundesliga games and six goals.

The vote is the one that matters inside dressing rooms. It is the recognition of opponents and teammates, the men who have to track his runs and read his passes. Novillo, 24, has been at Leipzig since 2055. Across eight seasons he has made 343 appearances for the club, scoring 31 times. The numbers tell of a player who does not stay still.

This season Leipzig again finished in the Bundesliga's first rank, and Novillo was the fixed point. He does not score often, but his six goals came at moments of need. The vote was not a landslide, but it was decisive.

There is no room for sentiment in this award. Players vote for the man they least like to face. Novillo wins because he makes the game harder for everyone else. That is the highest praise a professional can receive.

Leipzig have moved quickly in the transfer market this week, signing Iván from Juventus for £26.5m. The club's spending has been the talk of the Bundesliga. But the award for Novillo is a reminder that the best work is often already in the building.

The Argentinian has 37 caps for his country. He is known across the world. Yet the Players' Player award is a domestic one, and it says that in Germany, no one did it better this season.