Lion City Sailors’ Maxime Lestienne named Singapore Premier League Player of the Month for May

Lion City Sailors’ Maxime Lestienne won his first Singapore Premier League (SPL) Player of the Month award after several dazzling performances in May.

The 30-year-old winger started in all three of his club’s victories, contributing two goals and three assists to help the Sailors cement their spot at the top of the SPL table.  

The Belgian also sits atop of the assists chart, with seven to his name in 2022 so far. 

Albirex Niigata forward Kodai Tanaka and coach Kazuaki Yoshinaga were also named Young Player of the Month and Coach of the Month respectively. 

Kodai Tanaka notched four goals in May, including a hattrick against Geylang International and a winner against Tanjong Pagar United. The 23-year-old Japanese is currently the second-highest scorer in the SPL with 12 goals.

Coach Kazuaki Yoshinaga was recognised for his efforts in leading his team to victory in all three games in May. The White Swans are currently second in the league table, six points behind Sailors. 

The Goal of the Month award was picked up by Tanjong Pagar United’s Reo Nishiguchi for his superb solo effort against Albirex Niigata on May 7.

The Japanese picked up the ball near the halfway line, skipped past a few challenges on his way into the box and calmly slotted past the goalkeeper for the opener in the 21st minute. Tanjong Pagar eventually lost the game 2-1 however.