Tijjani Reijnders

Tijjani Martinus Jan Reijnders (; born 29 July 1998) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah and the Netherlands national team.

After representing various Dutch junior teams, Reijnders began his career with his hometown club, PEC Zwolle, before moving to fellow Dutch club AZ in the 2017–18 season. He was then loaned to RKC Waalwijk until the conclusion of the 2019–20 campaign, returning to AZ as a mainstay. He signed for AC Milan in the summer of 2023 and won the 2024–25 Supercoppa Italiana. After two years in Italy, he signed for Manchester City in 2025, winning the FA Cup and EFL Cup in his sole season at the club, before being sold to Saudi side Al-Qadsiah in 2026.

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.

Club career Early career Reijnders started his career with the Twente youth team. He played at Twente until the U-17 team before being released to CSV '28 and playing for one year from 2015 to 2016.

In 2016, Reijnders joined his hometown team PEC Zwolle U-19 where he then moved up the level and appeared in the Eredivisie club's first team.

AZ 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.

In 2020, he was loaned to RKC Waalwijk for six months, from January to June. 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. Reijnders was named to the Eredivisie Team of the Month in September 2022 and April 2023.

AC Milan On 19 July 2023, Reijnders joined Serie A club AC Milan, signing a five-year contract until June 2028. On 21 August, he made his first competitive start for Rossoneri in a Serie A match against Bologna. On 11 November, in a Serie A match against Lecce at the Stadio Via del mare, Reijnders scored his debut goal for Milan. On 3 March 2025, AC Milan announced that Tijjani Reijnders had signed a contract extension, committing to the club until 30 June 2030.

Reijnders was listed on the 2024–25 Serie A Team of the Season and was named the Serie A Best Midfielder of the season.

Manchester City On 11 June 2025, Premier League club Manchester City announced the signing of Reijnders on a five-year deal reportedly worth £46.5m. On 16 August, Reijnders made his league debut for the club in a 4–0 away win against Wolverhampton Wanderers, scoring the second goal of the game and assisting Erling Haaland for the third. On 22 March 2026, Reijnders won his first trophy for the club, the Carabao Cup, beating Arsenal 2-0 in the final.

Al-Qadsiah On 19 August 2026, Reijnders joined Saudi Pro League club Al-Qadsiah on a four-year deal for a reported £52m fee.

International career Prior to receiving his first call-up to the Dutch senior team in June 2023 for the UEFA Nations League Finals, Reijnders was also eligible to represent Indonesia through his mother's lineage, but he chose to represent his birth country.

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. On 13 October, he made his first start as the Netherlands were defeated 2–1 by France in the same competition.

Reijnders scored his first senior international goal in a 4–0 win over Scotland at the Johan Cruyff Arena on 22 March 2024.

On 29 May 2024, Reijnders was named in the Netherlands' squad for UEFA Euro 2024.

On 27 May 2026, Reijnders was named in the Netherlands' squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Style of play Reijnders is a mobile central midfielder with a 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 Barcelona as his proposed playing position in the latter team would have limited his movement.

Personal life Reijnders is the son of the former footballer Martin Reijnders, as well as the older brother of Eliano Reijnders, a professional footballer who currently plays for Persib Bandung. Reijnders is of Indonesian descent through his Moluccan mother. He was named after former Nigeria and Ajax forward Tijani Babangida.

Career statistics Club

International

Netherlands score listed first, score column indicates score after each Reijnders goal Coppa Italia runner-up: 2024–25

Manchester City FA Cup: 2025–26 EFL Cup: 2025–26

Individual Serie A Team of the Season: 2024–25 The Athletic Serie A Team of the Season: 2024–25 Serie A Team of the Year: 2024–25