Tijjani Reijnders
.jpg) Reijnders with AC Milan in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Tijjani Martinus Jan Reijnders | ||
| Date of birth | 29 July 1998 | ||
| 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 | 32 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2018–2019 | Netherlands U20 | 3 | (0) |
| 2023– | Netherlands | 8 | (1) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:22, 27 April 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 26 March 2024 | |||
Tijjani Martinus Jan Reijnders (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[edit]
Born in Zwolle, Reijnders is the son of Martin Reynders, and the brother of Eliano Reijnders who are also professional footballers.[1] Reijnders is of Indonesian descent through his mother.[2]
Despite not having any Nigerian ancestry, he is named after Nigerian footballer Tijani Babangida.[3]
Club career[edit]
Early career[edit]
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.[4]
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[edit]
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.[5]
In 2020, he was loaned to RKC Waalwijk for six months, from January to June.[6] 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.[7]
AC Milan[edit]
On 19 July 2023, Reijnders joined Serie A club AC Milan, signing a five-year contract until June 2028.[8] On 21 August, he made his first competitive start for Rossoneri in a Serie A match against Bologna.[9] On 11 November, in a Serie A match against Lecce at Stadio Via del mare, Reijnders scored his debut goal for Milan.[10]
International career[edit]
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.[11]
In June 2023, Reijnders received his first official call-up to the Netherlands national team for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals.[12]
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.[13] On 13 October, he made his first start as the Netherlands were defeated 2–1 by France in the same competition.[14]
Style of play[edit]
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.[15]
Career statistics[edit]
Club[edit]
- As of match played 27 April 2024[16]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | 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[b] | 0 | 47 | 6 | |
| 2022–23 | Eredivisie | 34 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 18[b] | 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 | 32 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12[c] | 1 | 46 | 3 |
| Career total | 229 | 30 | 9 | 0 | 37 | 5 | 275 | 35 | ||
- ^ Includes KNVB Cup, Coppa Italia
- ^ a b Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
- ^ Six appearances in UEFA Champions League, six appearances and one goal in UEFA Europa League
International[edit]
- As of match played 26 March 2024[17]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 2023 | 6 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | |
| Total | 8 | 1 | |
Scores and results list Netherlands' goal tally first.
| 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[edit]
Individual
- Eredivisie Team of the Month: September 2022, April 2023[18]
References[edit]
- ^ "Reijnders in voetspoor vader". www.peperbus.nl.
- ^ "Broederliefde - Interview with Tijjani and Eliano Reijnders". June 2021.
- ^ https://onefootball.com/fr/news/5-things-to-know-about-tijjani-reijnders-37890021
- ^ "Profil Tijjani Reijnders, Gelandang Andalan Eredivisie Keturunan Indonesia" (in Indonesian). Retrieved 11 February 2022.
- ^ "Reijnders promoveert naar A-selectie". www.az.nl. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ "RKC Waalwijk huurt middenvelder Tijjani Reijnders van AZ". BD. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ^ "Glanzlos, aber effizient: West Ham schlägt Alkmaar und steht im Endspiel" (in German). Kicker. 18 May 2023.
- ^ "Official Statement: Tijjani Reijnders". AC Milan. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- ^ "Bologna 0-2 AC Milan (Aug 21, 2023)". ESPN. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "Lecce 2-2 AC Milan (Nov 11, 2023)". ESPN. 11 November 2023. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Oranjeselectie voor de UEFA Nations League Finals" [National team squad for the Nations League Finals] (in Dutch). 29 May 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
- ^ "REIJNDERS DEBUTS WITH THE NETHERLANDS, VICTORY FOR KJÆR". A.C. Milan. 7 September 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ https://sempremilan.com/reijnders-role-pioli-milan-over-barcelona
- ^ "Tijjani Reijnders". Soccerway.
- ^ "Tijjani Reijnders". EU-Football.info. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ "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[edit]
- Profile at the AC Milan website
- Profile at the Royal Dutch Football Association website (in Dutch)
- Tijjani Reijnders – UEFA competition record (archive)
- 1998 births
- Living people
- Dutch people of Indonesian descent
- Sportspeople of Indonesian descent
- Dutch people of Moluccan descent
- Footballers from Zwolle
- Dutch men's footballers
- Men's association football midfielders
- Eredivisie players
- Eerste Divisie players
- AZ Alkmaar players
- Jong AZ players
- RKC Waalwijk players
- PEC Zwolle players
- AC Milan players
- Netherlands men's youth international footballers
- Netherlands men's international footballers
- Dutch expatriate men's footballers
- Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Italy
- Expatriate men's footballers in Italy