.jpg) Tillman with theUnited 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 | Attacking midfielder | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Current team | Bayer Leverkusen | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| –2015 | Greuther Fürth | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2020 | Bayern Munich | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (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 | 7 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | 26 | (3) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of November 22, 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of October 14, 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Malik Leon Tillman (born May 28, 2002) is a professionalsoccer player who plays as anattacking midfielder forBundesliga clubBayer Leverkusen. Born in Germany, he represents theUnited States national team.
Tillman is a graduate ofBayern Munich's youth system, which he joined in 2015 fromGreuther Fürth. He made his debut for Bayern's first-team in August 2021, having previously featured forBayern Munich II. In July 2022, he signed forScottish Premiership clubRangers on loan, where he won thePFA Scotland Young Player of the Year award for the2022–23 season. In August 2023, he went on loan toEredivisie clubPSV Eindhoven and won the league in2023–24, with the club permanently signing him in May 2024, winning the league again in2024–25. 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.
Born inNuremberg, Tillman was part of the youth squad atGreuther Fürth before joiningBayern Munich along with his brotherTimothy 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 forBayern Munich II, the club's reserve side, againstZwickau. 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 the2021–22 DFB-Pokal againstBremer 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 hisChampions League debut on December 8, 2021, coming on as a substitute late in the second half againstBarcelona.[6]
On July 15, 2022, Tillman joined Scottish clubRangers on a season long loan, with the club having an exclusive option to buy.[7] He made his debut for the club againstScottish Premiership sideLivingston, as a second-half substitute, during a 2–1 win on July 30.[8] He scored his first goal for Rangers in aChampions League qualifier against Belgian sideUnion Saint-Gilloise on August 9,[9] and followed this by netting the opening goal in a 4–0 league victory at home overSt Johnstone three days later.[10]
On August 10, 2023, Tillman extended his contract with Bayern Munich until 2026.[11] On the same day, he joinedEredivisie clubPSV 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 overWaalwijk.[13] On October 3, he provided his first Champions League assist in a 2–2 draw withSevilla.[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]
On July 12, 2025, Tillman joinedBundesliga sideBayer 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 alongsideJarell Quansah's move to the German club, as well as the second-highestAmerican soccer transfer of all-time.[17][18] On August 30, Tillman scored on his debut with the club, a 3–3 league draw toWerder Bremen.[19]
Tillman was initially eligible to represent bothGermany, his birth nation, and theUnited States, through his father.[3] He played youth international soccer for the United States atunder-15 level[20] and Germany atunder-15,under-16,under-17,under-20 andunder-21 levels.[21]
In May 2022, Tillman applied for a one-time switch to play for theUnited States national team.[22] On May 31, the switch was approved byFIFA.[23] The next day, he made his senior debut for the United States in a 3–0 win in a friendly match againstMorocco.[24]
Tillman scored his first two goals for the United States on June 15, 2025 during the2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup againstTrinidad and Tobago, and one week later he scored againstHaiti.[25]
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 withMajor League Soccer clubLos Angeles FC. Both brothers played for theGreuther Fürth andBayern Munich academies.[3]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | League cup[b] | Continental | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Bayern Munich II | 2019–20 | 3. Liga | 8 | 5 | — | — | — | — | 8 | 5 | ||||
| 2020–21 | 3. Liga | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | |||||
| 2021–22 | Regionalliga Bayern | 15 | 4 | — | — | — | — | 15 | 4 | |||||
| Total | 25 | 9 | — | — | — | — | 25 | 9 | ||||||
| Bayern Munich | 2021–22 | Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — | 2[c] | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
| Rangers (loan) | 2022–23 | Scottish Premiership | 28 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 9[c] | 1 | — | 43 | 12 | |
| Jong PSV (loan) | 2023–24 | Eerste Divisie | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | ||||
| PSV (loan) | 2023–24 | Eredivisie | 28 | 9 | 2 | 0 | — | 9[c] | 0 | — | 39 | 9 | ||
| PSV | 2024–25 | Eredivisie | 26 | 12 | 1 | 1 | — | 6[c] | 3 | 1[d] | 0 | 34 | 16 | |
| Bayer Leverkusen | 2025–26 | Bundesliga | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | 3[c] | 0 | — | 10 | 3 | ||
| Career total | 119 | 43 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 158 | 50 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2022 | 4 | 0 |
| 2023 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 9 | 3 | |
| Total | 26 | 3 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 15, 2025 | PayPal Park,San Jose, United States |  Trinidad and Tobago | 1–0 | 5–0 | 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
| 2 | 2–0 | |||||
| 3 | June 22, 2025 | AT&T Stadium,Arlington, United States |  Haiti | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup |
Bayern Munich
Rangers
PSV
United States
Individual
United States squads | |||||||||||||
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