Tijjani Reijnders

Tijjani Reijnders

Reijnders with AC Milan in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Tijjani Martinus Jan Reijnders Lekatompessy [1]
Date of birth	(1998-07-29) 29 July 1998 (age 25)
Place of birth	Zwolle, Netherlands
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)	Midfielder
Team information
Current team	AC Milan
Number	14
Youth career
2003–2007	WVF Zwolle
2007–2011	FC Zwolle
2011–2015	FC Twente
2015–2016	CSV '28
2016–2017	PEC Zwolle
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2017	PEC Zwolle	1	(0)
2017–2021	Jong AZ	92	(19)
2018–2023	AZ	93	(7)
2020	→ RKC Waalwijk (loan)	8	(0)
2023–	AC Milan	36	(3)
International career‡
2018–2019	Netherlands U20	3	(0)
2023–	Netherlands	8	(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 08:08, 26 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2024

Tijjani Martinus Jan Reijnders Lekatompessy (born 29 July 1998) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Serie A club AC Milan and the Netherlands national team.

After representing various Dutch junior teams, he began his career with his hometown club, PEC Zwolle, before moving to fellow Dutch club AZ Alkmaar in the 2017−18 season, where he was loaned to RKC Waalwijk until the conclusion of the 2019−20 season. After returning from his loan, he was named Team of the Month in September 2022 and April 2023, while he also managed to play in the Europa Conference League semi-finals before being signed with the Italian team AC Milan in the summer 2023.

Reijnders is a Dutch international, having progressed from the under-20 level onwards. He made his senior international debut for the country in September 2023.

Early life

Born in Zwolle, Reijnders is the son of Martin Reijnders, and the brother of Eliano Reijnders who are also professional footballers. ^[2] Reijnders is of Moluccan descent through his mother. ^[3]

Despite not having any Nigerian ancestry, he is named after Nigerian footballer Tijani Babangida. ^[4]

Club career

Early career

Reijnders' role in the football scene started at a young age, where he started his career with the FC Twente youth team. It's just that he played at FC Twente until the U-17 team before being released to CSV '28 and playing for one year from 2015 to 2016. ^[5]

In 2016, Reijnders joined his homeland team PEC Zwolle U-19 where he then moved up the level and appeared in the Eredivisie club's first team. Even at PEC Zwolle, Reijnders only played one year.

AZ Alkmaar

In 2017, development of his career accelerated rapidly. From working at a local Aldi supermarket and training in Zwolle, he crossed over to AZ's Under-21 team and moved up to the first professional team in 2018. ^[6]

In 2020, he was loaned to RKC Waalwijk for six months, from January to June. ^[7] Afterwards, Reijnders returned to AZ and became part of the first team, in which he managed to play in the 2022–23 Europa Conference League semi-finals. ^[8]

AC Milan

On 19 July 2023, Reijnders joined Serie A club AC Milan, signing a five-year contract until June 2028. ^[9] On 21 August, he made his first competitive start for Rossoneri in a Serie A match against Bologna. ^[10] On 11 November, in a Serie A match against Lecce at Stadio Via del mare, Reijnders scored his debut goal for Milan. ^[11]

International career

As a result of his family background, Reijnders was eligible to represent Indonesia or the Netherlands. On February 2022, it was reported that the head coach of the Indonesia national football team at that time, Shin Tae-yong, had tried to call him up, but he declined the opportunity. ^[12]

In June 2023, Reijnders received his first official call-up to the Netherlands national team for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals. ^[13]

On 7 September 2023, Reijnders made his Netherlands debut as a substitute in a 3–0 win over Greece in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier. ^[14] On 13 October, he made his first start as the Netherlands were defeated 2–1 by France in the same competition. ^[15]

On 29 May 2024, Reijnders was named in the Netherlands' squad for UEFA Euro 2024. ^[16]

Style of play

Reijnders is a mobile central midfielder with the penchant for going forward into the final third and the opposition's penalty area, to either make attempts at scoring or to press opponents.

Upon his transfer to Milan, he was immediately integrated into the team's starting XI by manager Stefano Pioli as a left-sided central midfielder, known as mezzala in Italy, in a 4–3–3 formation. He also played as part of the double pivot in a 4–2–3–1 formation, again primarily on the left despite being right-footed.

According to Reijnders, tactical reasons played a somewhat significant role in him choosing AC Milan over FC Barcelona as his proposed playing position in the latter team would have limited his movement. ^[17]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 25 May 2024 ^[18]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [lower-alpha 1]		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
PEC Zwolle	2017–18	Eredivisie	1	0	—		—		1	0
AZ	2017–18	Eredivisie	1	0	—		—		1	0
	2018–19	Eredivisie	0	0	1	0	—		1	0
	2019–20	Eredivisie	3	0	—		—		3	0
	2020–21	Eredivisie	22	0	0	0	—		22	0
	2021–22	Eredivisie	36	6	4	0	7 [lower-alpha 2]	0	47	6
	2022–23	Eredivisie	34	3	2	0	18 [lower-alpha 2]	4	54	7
	Total		96	9	7	0	25	4	128	13
Jong AZ	2017–18	Eerste Divisie	32	6	—		—		32	6
	2018–19	Eerste Divisie	36	8	—		—		36	8
	2019–20	Eerste Divisie	16	3	—		—		16	3
	2020–21	Eerste Divisie	8	2	—		—		8	2
	Total		92	19	—		—		92	19
RKC Waalwijk (loan)	2019–20	Eredivisie	8	0	—		—		8	0
AC Milan	2023–24	Serie A	36	3	2	0	12 [lower-alpha 3]	1	50	4
Career total			233	31	9	0	37	5	279	36

1. Includes KNVB Cup, Coppa Italia
2. Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
3. Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League

International

As of match played 26 March 2024 ^[19]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Netherlands	2023	6	0
	2024	2	1
Total		8	1

Scores and results list Netherlands' goal tally first.

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	22 March 2024	Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands	7	Scotland	1–0	4–0	Friendly

Honours

Individual

• Eredivisie Team of the Month: September 2022, April 2023 ^[20]

References

1. "Tijjani Reijnders".
2. "Reijnders in voetspoor vader". www.peperbus.nl.
3. "Broederliefde - Interview with Tijjani and Eliano Reijnders". June 2021.
4. https://onefootball.com/fr/news/5-things-to-know-about-tijjani-reijnders-37890021
5. "Profil Tijjani Reijnders, Gelandang Andalan Eredivisie Keturunan Indonesia" (in Indonesian). Retrieved 11 February 2022.
6. "Reijnders promoveert naar A-selectie". www.az.nl. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
7. "RKC Waalwijk huurt middenvelder Tijjani Reijnders van AZ". BD. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
8. "Glanzlos, aber effizient: West Ham schlägt Alkmaar und steht im Endspiel" (in German). Kicker. 18 May 2023.
9. "Official Statement: Tijjani Reijnders". AC Milan. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
10. "Bologna 0-2 AC Milan (Aug 21, 2023)". ESPN. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
11. "Lecce 2-2 AC Milan (Nov 11, 2023)". ESPN. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
12. "Respons Shin Tae-yong Usai Tijjani Reijnders Tolak Timnas Indonesia" [Shin Tae-yong's response after Tijjani Reijnders rejected the Indonesian national team.]. Bolasport (in Indonesian). 19 February 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2024.
13. "Oranjeselectie voor de UEFA Nations League Finals" [National team squad for the Nations League Finals] (in Dutch). 29 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
14. "REIJNDERS DEBUTS WITH THE NETHERLANDS, VICTORY FOR KJÆR". A.C. Milan. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
15. "Met mes op de keel, maar toch trekt Oranje vol vertrouwen naar Griekenland: "We hadden een goede mentaliteit tegen Frankrijk"". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 16 October 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
16. "Netherlands Euro 2024 squad: Ian Maatsen dropped, Georginio Wijnaldum and Daley Blind retained". The New York Times. 29 May 2024. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
17. https://sempremilan.com/reijnders-role-pioli-milan-over-barcelona
18. "Tijjani Reijnders". Soccerway.
19. "Tijjani Reijnders". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
20. "Eight clubs represent the Eredivisie Team of the Month for April". Eredivisie. 5 May 2023. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.

External links

• Profile at the AC Milan website
• Profile at the Royal Dutch Football Association website (in Dutch)
• Tijjani Reijnders – UEFA competition record ( archive )