Tillman's road back to the Bundesliga

Stats correct as of 12 July 2025 

Malik Tillman

Age: 23 (born 28 May 2002)
Club: Bayer Leverkusen
Position: Attacking midfielder
Country: USA (25 caps, three goals)

Key stats

Tillman joined Leverkusen following a fantastic two-year stint in the Netherlands. PSV had not won the Dutch title in five years before the attacking midfielder arrived from Bayern Munich in 2023 - first on loan and then permanently.

However, just 12 months later, they were crowned champions, with Tillman scoring nine goals and providing 10 assists. In 2024/25, he backed that up with 12 goals in 26 league games, as well as three efforts in six UEFA Champions League outings, to help PSV to a second consecutive title. It has not always been a straightforward journey to the top, but his talent is undeniable. 

His footballing journey started at Greuther Fürth, and he made the move to Munich with Bayern a few months past his 13th birthday in the summer of 2015. After shining almost from the off, Tillman really made the step up in 2019/20, plundering 13 goals for Bayern's U19s before the coronavirus-enforced break in play, making him the top scorer league-wide in the U19 Bundesliga.

After football returned following lockdown, 18-year-old Tillman moved up to Bayern's reserve team, and finished the season with five goals in eight games as Bayern climbed from eighth to first in the Rückrunde. Hansi Flick duly promoted Tillman to the first-team squad for the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League's final eight tournament in Lisbon en route to wrapping up a first continental treble since 2013, while the youngster scored his first senior goal in the 2021/22 DFB Cup first round.

Despite also debuting in the Bundesliga and Champions League before the year was out, the American spent the following campaign on loan at Rangers, producing 10 goals and four assists in 28 Scottish Premiership outings.

At international level, Tillman - the son of a German mother and US military father - first turned out for the USA at U15 before making 21 youth appearances for Germany across several age groups. However, he ultimately pledged his allegiance to the US, scoring his first three goals at the 2025 Gold Cup as part of a team that made the final and narrowly missed out on taking the crown in a 2-1 defeat to Mexico.

Plays a bit like: Xavi Simons

Tillman is a goalscoring midfielder/forward who has shown versatility throughout his career so far, playing in a more central midfield position while also being deployed on the left flank. That is reminiscent of Xavi, who has shone for Leipzig since joining from PSV - a player Tillman was arguably brought in to replace at the club.

Xaxi initially started out on the right flank for Leipzig, but has spent the last 18 months either in attacking midfield or on the opposite wing, and often to devastating effect. Leverkusen will be hoping Tillman has a similar impact at the BayArena.

Did you know?

Tillman only ended up at Bayern because of his elder brother, Timothy. An attacking midfielder or winger himself, Timothy - three years Malik's senior - was regarded as one of the most promising prospects in world football back in 2015, and Bayern fended off reported interest from Barcelona to sign him from Fürth. 

Being a two-hour drive from home may have helped swing the deal, but so too did the fact that young Malik was also offered a place at the FC Bayern Campus. Ultimately, things didn't quite go to plan for Timothy, but he is still a professional and currently plays for Los Angeles FC in the MLS.

What they're saying

"We regret Malik's decision - it surprised us a lot. We promoted him as a young player in the U21s, we placed a lot of trust in him and gave him match practice. In addition, we were in intensive talks regarding his prospects in the senior national team." - Germany U21 coach Antonio Di Salvo on Tillman's decision to represent the USMNT

""In Malik Tillman we have gained another player who has great ability and is very dangerous in front of goal. He can play in midfield either as a number 10 or as a number 8. Malik is an absolute top signing for us." - Leverkusen's managing director for sport, Simon Rolfes

"I almost found Tillman scary, so good. I really enjoyed watching him from the bench. It was just beautiful to watch." - PSV head coach Peter Bosz following his team's 1-1 draw with Arsenal in 2023.