BERLIN (AFP) -- VfB Stuttgart striker Mario Gomez was on Wednesday voted Bundesliga Player of the Year for 2007 for propelling his club to the title with 14 goals last season.

The lanky Gomez, 22, polled 196 votes in the Kicker magazine poll of sports journalists to finish ahead of Werder Bremen's Brazilian star Diego, who received 175 votes, and German veteran Bernd Schneider of Bayer Leverkusen (156).
Stuttgart coach Armin Veh was an easy winner of the Coach of the Year award with 449 votes for leading his unfancied side to their first Bundesliga title for 15 years.
Nuremberg coach Hans Meyer was second with 221 votes after his club won the German Cup for the first time in 45 years by beating Stuttgart in the final.
The 2007-2008 Bundesliga season kicks off on Friday when Stuttgart play host to Schalke 04