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Malick Thiaw of Champions League club AC Milan is hoping to play against Belgium on Tuesday. He made his DFB debut against Peru on the bench.


From the 2nd division to the starting 11 of a world club and now also a German national player: Malick Thiaw has developed rapidly and wants much more.

From Fortuna Düsseldorf to Schalke and AC Milan

Less than two years ago his rivals were Heidenheim and Sandhausen, now in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and currently making his debut for the DFB team. For Malick Thiaw, life as a professional football player must feel like a dream right now.

The son of a Finnish mother and Senegalese father, who was born in Düsseldorf and first played for amateur club TV Kalkum-Wittlaer, arrived at FC Schalke 04 at U15 via Fortuna Düsseldorf, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Thiaw: Training at the “Miner’s Forge”

In the legendary “Knappenschmiede”, where world champions Manuel Neuer, Benedikt Höwedes, Mesut Özil and Julian Draxler appeared, the 1.94 meter tall defender became a Bundesliga pro and became U-21 eleven times in 2021 despite Schalke’s relegation. international

The fact that he would be wearing the DFB jersey came to light in a roundabout way. At the U17s, Malick Thiaw was invited to the courses in Finland but did not play there. But in 2021 he decided to take his German citizenship and play for his home country in the future – he even fielded the DFB youth as captain in an away game in Italy.

He owes his good athletic genes to his parents.

My mother was a successful track and field athlete when she was young, and my father held a soccer goal in Senegal. It’s easy to find something that interests my roots.

Malick Thiaw, international football player

This was explained by Malick Thiaw in an interview with the Gelsenkirchen club magazine “Schalker Kreisel”.

While he was still living with his family, different languages ​​were spoken at home. “I could also speak French when I was a little boy, but I had forgotten that partly because conversations quickly turned to Finnish or German,” said Malick Thiaw. “My mother’s origin is very important, we often visit relatives. city.”

“New language, new culture, different match plan”

The lack of language was not the reason why he had trouble adjusting after transferring from Schalke to Milan. Initially, the defender, to whom “Rossoneri” transferred seven million euros in August 2022, did not take a chance: “It was not easy for me: new language, new culture, different game plan.”

But after Milan ruined their city duel at Inter 0-1 on February 5, the youth from Germany came to his senses. In a 1-0 win against AC Turin, he played 90 minutes a week for the first time since the derby – and not only convinced head coach Stefano Pioli.

I saw his progress and I said to him: don’t give up.

Paolo Maldini, former football player, in Thiaw

Milan legend Paolo Maldini’s praise came after Thiaw’s best-ever performance for the Lombards: a 1-0 win over Tottenham in their Champions League round of 16 first leg. The 21-year-old did not let London stars Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son down in his Champions League debut. “After a few months you get used to what your teammates and coach want from you,” said the Milan shooting star after the match against the Spurs.

House EM 2024 candidate

A quarter-final will be played with Serie A champion SSC Napoli on 12 and 20 April in Italy. The former Schalke player is ready for other big missions – in the European Cup, against Belgium on Tuesday in Cologne or possibly at EM 2024 in Germany.

Source: ZDF
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