Joshua Kimmich
The silent one, as I call him, does all the dirty work that most people don't notice and doesn't get the recognition he deserves. He is a jack of all trades; this man not only plays right back the way every coach dreams of, but he also fills in at defensive midfield when he is asked to do so and sometimes even scores a world-class goal or two when Die Roten really need it.
As somebody who got to watch this genius play live, I can genuinely say that he should not be as undervalued as he is by the masses and is worthy of being in the team of the year this go-around. As a defender, unfortunately, most voters will more than likely look at Bayern's defense as a whole and compare it to the likes of Manchester City, Bayer Leverkusen, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, and even Napoli and say that the other nominees earned their keep more than he was able to. I don't believe that Kimmich will make it into the team, but I would be very content if he can squeeze in as a dark horse candidate for his stellar performances over the 2024 calendar year.