Malik Leon Tillman (born May 28, 2002) is a professional soccer player who plays as an attacking midfielder for Eredivisie club PSV, on loan from Bayern Munich. Born in Germany, he represents the United States national team.
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.
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. He was quickly promoted to the under-19 squad after putting in good performances for the under-17s.
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.
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.
He made his Champions League debut on December 8, 2021, coming on as a substitute late in the second half against Barcelona.
Loan to Rangers
On July 15, 2022, Tillman joined Scottish club Rangers on a season long loan, with the club having an exclusive option to buy. 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. He scored his first goal for Rangers in a Champions League qualifier against Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise on 9 August, and followed this by netting the opening goal in a 4–0 league victory at home over St Johnstone three days later.
Loan to PSV
On 10 August 2023, Tillman extended his contract with Bayern Munich until 2026. On the same day, he joined Eredivisie club PSV on loan with an option to buy.
International career
Tillman was initially eligible to represent both Germany, his birth nation, and the United States, through his father. He played youth international soccer for the United States at under-15 level and Germany at under-15, under-16, under-17, under-20 and under-21 levels.
In May 2022, Tillman applied for a one-time switch to play for the United States national team. On May 31, the switch was approved by FIFA. The next day, he made his senior debut for the United States in a 3–0 win in a friendly match against Morocco.
Personal life
Tillman is a dual national of the United States and Germany, due to his father being American and his mother German. Tillman 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, graduating from the latter.