Ragnar Ache has collected the 2025/26 Bundesliga Goal of the Season trophy in pre-season training, and the reason is obvious enough: the bicycle kick against Hoffenheim that stood out last February. Said El Mala, who is 19, handed it over in the session. For 1. FC Köln, it is a neat bit of recognition before a season that needs a better feel than the last one.
The goal that won it
Bundesliga.com described the strike as Ache slamming El Mala's cross home with a "stunningly perfect bicycle kick" in the meeting with Hoffenheim. That is the moment the award is built around. It was not a routine finish, not a tidy tap-in, and not the sort of goal that needs much framing once you see it.
Ache's recent league output is more modest than the trophy suggests, which is why the goal has carried so much weight for Cologne. He scored once in his last five league matches, with a 6.4 average rating across that spell. Those numbers are not the story on their own, but they do show why a single standout moment has become a useful talking point for the club.
Cologne's mood before the new season
The wider backdrop is not glamorous. Köln finished 14th last season and picked up 32 points from 34 league matches. That is the kind of return that leaves little room for complacency, especially when the new campaign asks for a sharper edge in front of goal.
The trophy handover in training does not change any results by itself. It does give the squad a visible positive to carry into August, and Ache is central to that because the award belongs to the kind of moment teams remember when they are searching for momentum. Cologne open their league season at home to Hoffenheim on 29 August, the same fixture in which Ache scored the bicycle kick.
That makes the timing awkward in a useful way. The award celebrates one of last season's best goals, but it also puts Cologne back in front of the same opponent on opening day, with a fresh chance to set a different tone.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
