Dylan Mbayo has been named Eredivisie Player of the Month for November
Dylan Mbayo was named Eredivisie Player of the Month for November. The 23-year-old PEC Zwolle forward was the standout player based on Opta statistics and votes from football fans.
PEC Zwolle secured crucial points last month in their fight to avoid relegation. The IJsselderby against Go Ahead Eagles ended in a draw (2-2), while they claimed victories at the MAC³PARK stadium against both Fortuna Sittard (3-1) and Sparta Rotterdam (1-0). Only Ajax proved too strong for Zwolle on their home turf (2-0). Thanks to these results, Johnny Jansen's side climbed from sixteenth to a shared twelfth place in the standings (15 points).
Five goals involved
The standout player for PEC Zwolle was Dylan Mbayo. In November, Mbayo was involved in five goals (3 assists and 2 goals) and recorded the most dribbles (27) and successful dribbles (14) in the Eredivisie. His difficulty in being stopped is evident from the number of fouls committed against him: ten times in the last four matches (second highest). Additionally, Mbayo registered 16 touches in the opponent's penalty area and was voted KPN Man of the Match by football fans in the game against Fortuna Sittard.
The 23-year-old Belgian began his career at Lokeren and, after short periods at KAA Gent, KV Kortrijk, and FC Dordrecht (on loan), eventually joined PEC Zwolle. The Zwolle club has included an option to purchase in his loan contract.
The award was presented by ESPN presenter Fresia Cousiño Arias
Second monthly award for PEC Zwolle
In the eight years since the start of the awards, Dylan Mbayo is only the second PEC Zwolle player to be named Eredivisie Player of the Month. Clint Leemans won the monthly award previously (September 2020), while Daishawn Redan was named as Johan Cruyff Talent of the Month (February 2022). In the monthly voting, Mbayo managed to beat out the likes of Ricardo Pepi (PSV) and Anis Hadj Moussa (Feyenoord).
About the election
The selection of Eredivisie Player of the Month, Johan Cruijff Talent of the Month, and Eredivisie Team of the Month is based on Opta statistics and votes from football fans (KPN Man of the Match). These criteria are also considered in the voting for Eredivisie Player of the Year and Johan Cruijff Talent of the Year. These awards are presented at the end of the season during the Eredivisie Awards. The monthly elections are an initiative of Eredivisie CV in collaboration with ESPN, the Johan Cruyff Foundation, and VriendenLoterij.
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