The title Footballer of the Year has been awarded in Germany since 1960. Eligible are German players as well as non-German players playing in Germany. In 1996, the title Women's Footballer of the Year was awarded for the first time. Both awards are determined by a poll of German football journalists from the Association of German Sports Journalists and the publication kicker.

İlkay Gündoğan is a German professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for La Liga club Barcelona and the Germany national team.