Malik Tillman

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Malik Tillman
Malik Tillman 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup final (cropped).jpg
Tillman with the United States in 2025
Personal information
Full name Malik Leon Tillman [1]
Date of birth (2002-05-28) May 28, 2002 (age 23)
Place of birth Nuremberg, Germany
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) [2]
Position(s) Attacking midfielder
Team information
Current team
 Bayer Leverkusen
Number 10
Youth career
–2015 Greuther Fürth
2015–2020 Bayern Munich
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2020–2022 Bayern Munich II 25 (9)
2021–2024 Bayern Munich 4 (0)
2022–2023 → Rangers (loan) 28 (10)
2023 → Jong PSV (loan) 1 (0)
2023–2024 → PSV (loan) 28 (9)
2024–2025 PSV 26 (12)
2025– Bayer Leverkusen 2 (1)
International career‡
2016 United States U15 2 (0)
2017 Germany U15 1 (0)
2018 Germany U16 3 (0)
2018–2019 Germany U17 11 (2)
2021 Germany U20 2 (1)
2021–2022 Germany U21 4 (3)
2022– United States 25 (3)
Medal record
Representing Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Men's soccer
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Runner-up 2025 Canada–United States
CONCACAF Nations League
Winner 2024
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of September 12, 2025
‡ National team caps and goals as of July 6, 2025

Malik Leon Tillman (born May 28, 2002) is a professional soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen. Born in Germany, he represents the United States national team.

Contents

Tillman is a graduate of Bayern Munich's youth system, which he joined in 2015 from Greuther Fürth. He made his debut for Bayern's first-team in August 2021, having previously featured for Bayern Munich II. In July 2022, he signed for Scottish Premiership club Rangers on loan, where he won the PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award for the 2022–23 season. In August 2023, he went on loan to Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven and won the league in 2023–24, with the club permanently signing him in May 2024, winning the league again in 2024–25. In July 2025, Tillman signed a five-year contract to Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen for $41 million.

Tillman represented both his country of birth, Germany, and the United States at youth international level. He made his senior international debut for the United States in June 2022.

Club career

Bayern Munich

Born in Nuremberg, Tillman was part of the youth squad at Greuther Fürth before joining Bayern Munich along with his brother Timothy Tillman in 2015. [3] He was quickly promoted to the under-19 squad after putting in good performances for the under-17s. [3]

Tillman made his professional debut on June 9, 2020, when he came on as a substitute for Bayern Munich II, the club's reserve side, against Zwickau. He started and played 57 minutes as Bayern Munich II won 2–0. [4]

He was promoted to Bayern Munich's senior team during the first round of the 2021–22 DFB-Pokal against Bremer SV on August 25, 2021. He came on as a substitute at the start of the second half and scored a goal in the 12–0 victory. [5]

He made his Champions League debut on December 8, 2021, coming on as a substitute late in the second half against Barcelona. [6]

Loan to Rangers

Tillman with Rangers in 2022 Malik Tillman 2022.jpg
Tillman with Rangers in 2022

On July 15, 2022, Tillman joined Scottish club Rangers on a season long loan, with the club having an exclusive option to buy. [7] He made his debut for the club against Scottish Premiership side Livingston, as a second-half substitute, during a 2–1 win on July 30. [8] He scored his first goal for Rangers in a Champions League qualifier against Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise on August 9, [9] and followed this by netting the opening goal in a 4–0 league victory at home over St Johnstone three days later. [10]

PSV

On August 10, 2023, Tillman extended his contract with Bayern Munich until 2026. [11] On the same day, he joined Eredivisie club PSV on loan with an option to buy. [12] On September 2, he scored his first goal on his Eredivisie debut in a 4–0 away win over Waalwijk. [13] On October 3, he provided his first Champions League assist in a 2–2 draw with Sevilla. [14]

On May 10, 2024, PSV opted to activate the buy option, securing Tillman's transfer permanently by finalizing a contract extending until 2028. [15] The transfer fee was reportedly €12 million, with a buyback clause to Bayern of approximately €35 million. [16]

Bayer Leverkusen

On July 12, 2025, Tillman joined Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen on a five-year deal after the club activated his release clause, which is reported to be €35 million, representing a club record fee for Leverkusen alongside Jarell Quansah's move to the German club, as well as the second-highest American soccer transfer of all-time. [17] [18] On August 30, Tillman scored on his debut with the club, a 3–3 league draw to Werder Bremen. [19]

International career

Tillman playing for the United States at the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup Malik Tillman, 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, 01.jpg
Tillman playing for the United States at the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Tillman was initially eligible to represent both Germany, his birth nation, and the United States, through his father. [3] He played youth international soccer for the United States at under-15 level [20] and Germany at under-15, under-16, under-17, under-20 and under-21 levels. [21]

In May 2022, Tillman applied for a one-time switch to play for the United States national team. [22] On May 31, the switch was approved by FIFA. [23] The next day, he made his senior debut for the United States in a 3–0 win in a friendly match against Morocco. [24]

Tillman scored his first two goals for the United States on June 15, 2025 during the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup against Trinidad and Tobago, and one week later he scored against Haiti. [25]

Personal life

Tillman is a dual national of the United States and Germany due to his father being American and his mother German. He has an older brother, Timothy, who currently plays professionally with Major League Soccer club Los Angeles FC. Both brothers played for the Greuther Fürth and Bayern Munich academies. [3]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played September 12, 2025 [26]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueNational cup [a] League cup [b] ContinentalOtherTotal
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Bayern Munich II 2019–20 3. Liga 85————85
2020–21 3. Liga20————20
2021–22 Regionalliga Bayern 154————154
Total259————259
Bayern Munich 2021–22 Bundesliga 4011—2 [c] 00071
Rangers (loan) 2022–23 Scottish Premiership 281031309 [c] 1—4312
Jong PSV (loan) 2023–24 Eerste Divisie 10————10
PSV (loan) 2023–24 Eredivisie 28920—9 [c] 0—399
PSV 2024–25 Eredivisie261211—6 [c] 31 [d] 03416
Bayer Leverkusen 2025–26 Bundesliga2100—00—21
Career total1144173302641015048

International

As of match played July 6, 2025 [27]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
United States 202240
202340
202490
2025 83
Total253
List of international goals scored by Malik Tillman
No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition
1June 15, 2025 PayPal Park, San Jose, United StatesFlag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago 1–05–0 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup
22–0
3June 22, 2025 AT&T Stadium, Arlington, United StatesFlag of Haiti.svg  Haiti 1–02–12025 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Honors

Bayern Munich

Rangers

PSV

United States

Individual

References

  1. ↑ "Malik Leon Tillman". Bavarian Football Association (in German). Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Malik Tillman". ussoccer.com. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Justin Butler, Chris Richards, and the nascent US stars earning their stripes at Bayern Munich". Bundesliga. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Bayern Munich 2-0 Zwickau". Soccerway.
  5. ↑ "Bayern Munich win 12-0 in German Cup rout". 7news.com.au. August 25, 2021. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  6. ↑ "Blistering Reds down Barca". FC Bayern Munich. December 8, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Rangers Sign Malik Tillman From Bayern Munich". rangers.co.uk. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Livingston 1-2 Rangers". BBC Sport. July 30, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Rangers 3-0 Union Saint-Gilloise". BBC Sport. August 10, 2022.
  10. ↑ "Rangers 4-0 St Johnstone". BBC Sport. August 13, 2022.
  11. ↑ "FC Bayern verlängert Vertrag mit Malik Tillman" (in German). FC Bayern Munich. August 10, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Transfer | PSV versterkt middenveld met Malik Tillman" (in Dutch). PSV. August 10, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Malik Tillman scores off bench for PSV as USMNT stars Sergino Dest and Ricardo Pepi feature in lopsided win over RKC Waalwijk". Goal.com. September 2, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Malik Tillman makes impact in PSV's UCL draw with Sevilla". SBI Soccer. October 3, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Transfer | Malik Tillman tekent tot medio 2028 bij PSV" (in Dutch). PSV. May 10, 2024.
  16. ↑ "So viel Geld müsste FC Bayern zahlen, um Malik Tillman zurückzuholen - Top-Quelle" [That's how much money FC Bayern would have to pay to bring Malik Tillman back - top source] (in German). Tribuna.com. May 11, 2024.
  17. ↑ "USA international Malik Tillman joins Bayer 04 from PSV". Bayer 04 Leverkusen. July 12, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Bayer Leverkusen complete deal to sign USMNT's Malik Tillman from PSV Eindhoven". The Athletic. July 12, 2025.
  19. ↑ Stafford-Bloor, Sebastian (August 30, 2025). "USMNT's Malik Tillman scores in a Leverkusen debut marred by blown lead". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Bayern Munich prospect Malik Tillman to play for the USMNT". sbisoccer.com. May 19, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Malik Tillman Spielerprofil". dfb.de. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
  22. ↑ "Bayern Munich youngster Malik Tillman to play for the USA".
  23. ↑ "Bayern's Tillman cleared to represent USMNT". May 31, 2022.
  24. ↑ "Joe Scally and Malik Tillman make USMNT debuts in Morocco friendly". Bundesliga. June 1, 2022.
  25. ↑ "Gold Cup Schedule & Results". Gold Cup. March 8, 2021. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  26. ↑ Malik Tillman at Soccerway . Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Malik Tillman » Internationals". WorldFootball.net. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Gnabry eröffnet sehenswert: FC Bayern zum zehnten Mal in Folge Meister". Kicker (in German). April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Supercup 2020, Finale: Bayern München 3:2 Borussia Dortmund: Analyse" [Supercup 2020, Final: Bayern Munich 3:2 Borussia Dortmund: Analysis]. kicker (in German). Olympia-Verlag. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  30. ↑ "Joker Javi Martinez köpft Bayern zum Supercup". Kicker (in German). September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  31. ↑ Moffat, Colin (February 26, 2023). "Kyogo strikes twice as Celtic beat Rangers in final". BBC Sport. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  32. ↑ "PSV crowned Eredivisie champions for 26th time after historic Ajax collapse". Flashscore. May 18, 2025. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  33. ↑ "Adams Reyna on target as United States complete three peat". CONCACAF. March 25, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  34. ↑ Henry Jr, Larry (May 9, 2023). "Carter-Vickers, Tillman voted to PFA Scottish Premiership Team of Year". SBI Soccer. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  35. ↑ Henry Jr, Larry (May 14, 2023). "Malik Tillman named PFA Scottish Premiership Young Player of the Year". SBI Soccer. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  36. ↑ "Eredivisie Team of the Season (TOTS)". Electronic Arts Inc. April 25, 2025. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
  37. ↑ "Díaz, Jiménez, Richards headline Gold Cup Best XI". CONCACAF. July 9, 2025. Retrieved July 9, 2025.
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