Malick Thiaw: Who is the former Schalke man back in the Germany squad?
Following his move to Newcastle United in the English Premier League, Malick Thiaw has returned to the Germany squad with an eye on being including in Julian Nagelsmann's 2026 FIFA World Cup plans. From his professional debut at Schalke to international football, it has been an interesting journey for the centre-back...
Data correct as of 7 November 2025
Malick Thiaw
Club: Newcastle United
Age: 24 (born 8 August 2021)
Position: Centre-back
Country: Germany (three caps)
Key stats
Thiaw's journey started at TV Kalkum-Wittaer, who he joined when he was just five years old. In 2009, he made his first leap into the ranks of a big club, joining Fortuna Düsseldorf. He would spend the next six years with Fortuna, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Mönchengladbach before making the switch to Schalke in 2015.
Thiaw was an important member of the Royal Blues' U17 squad at the age of just 14, making 23 appearances in the U17 Bundesliga. The following term, 2018/19, he made the step up to the U19s, featuring heavily as Schalke reached the semi-finals of the German championships before losing to rivals Borussia Dortmund.
Despite playing at centre-back, he scored eight goals in 20 appearances for the U19s during the next campaign, which didn't escape the attention of first-team head coach David Wagner. After attending the club's mid-season training camp, Thiaw was handed his debut in a 1-1 draw with Hoffenheim in March 2020, a game which proved to be Schalke's last before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Upon football's return, Thiaw made three further appearances in 19/20 before playing 19 times in 20/21. Schalke were relegated that term, but Thiaw had a crucial role in their immediate return to the top flight, playing 31 games in Bundesliga 2.
Although Schalke had earned promotion, Thiaw was on the move, joining Italian giants AC Milan. Across the next three seasons, he amassed 85 appearances in all competitions, winning the Italian Super Cup during his stay with the Rossoneri. In the summer of 2025, Newcastle swooped to acquire his services, and Thiaw made his debut in a 3-2 defeat to reigning Premier League champions Liverpool.
Internationally, Thiaw was a member of the U21 squad that won the UEFA European Championships in 2021, although he didn't get onto the field of play.
He made his debut with that age group in September of the same year and picked up 10 more caps before making his maiden senior run-out under Hansi Flick in 2023 against Portugal. After two more caps, Thiaw had to wait 25 months for his next call-up, but he is now ready to make his mark.
Plays a bit like: Jonathan Tah
Having started out at Hamburg, Tah has developed into one of the Bundesliga's leading centre-backs at Leverkusen and Bayern Munich, and he is someone Thiaw could emulate. The two stand at over 6'3" and are both aerial threats, also using their strength and power to command the backline.
With 41 caps for his country, Tah is still some way ahead of Thiaw in the pecking order, but sharing a camp together gives the latter someone to learn from as he looks to become a Germany regular.
Did you know?
Thiaw is not just a talented football player but also something of a linguist. He speaks five languages; German, Finnish, Wolof, English and Italian. The Finnish comes from his mother, while his father is from Senegal, where many people speak Wolof.
What they're saying...
"Malick is an outstanding talent and has a little bit of everything in his game. I've been really pleased with how he's started." - Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe
"He played a fantastic game. I see how hard he works in training every day. He is one of those guys you can definitely rely on." - former AC Milan head coach Stefano Pioli following Thiaw's Champions League debut in 2023
“If you want to single someone out from the team, it’s Malick Thiaw, who played very solidly and maturely. He was one of the highlights of tonight’s game.” - Flick after Thiaw's national team debut
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