Malick Laye Thiaw (German pronunciation: [ˈmalɪk ˈtʃaʊ];[2] born 8 August 2001) is a German professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Newcastle United and the Germany national team. Mainly a centre-back, he can also play as a right-back or defensive midfielder.
In his childhood Thiaw played for TV Kalkum-Wittlaer, a club in his native Düsseldorf.[3] He then played for the youth teams of Fortuna Düsseldorf, Bayer Leverkusen, and Borussia Mönchengladbach.
In 2015 he joined the youth academy of Schalke 04.[4] Thiaw made his professional debut with Schalke 04 during a 1–1 draw against TSG Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga on 7 March 2020.[5]
On 29 August 2022, he moved to Italy joining Serie A club AC Milan on a contract until 30 June 2027, the transfer fee was believed to be €5 million paid upfront and €2 million on bonus-relating clauses.[6][7]
Having spent the first half of his debut season mostly on the sidelines, making only a few short appearances as a substitute, Thiaw emerged into the team's starting XI in February 2023 following his man of the match performance against Tottenham Hotspur in the round of 16 of the 2022–23 UEFA Champions League.[8] As the team's head coach Stefano Pioli opted to change the formation from 4–2–3–1 to 3–5–2, he began to start every forthcoming game in the middle of the defensive third, with Fikayo Tomori on the left and Pierre Kalulu on the right. However, when Pioli reversed his decision in March 2023 due to unsatisfactory results and went back to a four-man defense, Thiaw still kept his place as a starter, effectively becoming the team's second-choice center back after Tomori.[9]
Ahead of the 2023–24 season, Thiaw and Tomori were the team's starting duo in central defense, with Kalulu and Simon Kjær as backups.[10] The pair continued to play together until Thiaw's injury on 2 December 2023 in the game against Frosinone, which sidelined him for eight weeks.[11]
On 5 November 2024, he scored his first goal for the club in a 3–1 away win against Real Madrid during the Champions League league phase.[12]
On 12 August 2025, Thiaw signed for English Premier League club Newcastle United for an estimated £30 million (€35 million) transfer fee, plus £4.3 million in add-ons. He signed a long-term deal with the Magpies and chose to wear the shirt number 12, while also reuniting with his former AC Milan teammate Sandro Tonali at his new club.[13][14][15]
Born in Germany to a Senegalese father and Finnish mother, Thiaw holds German and Finnish passports.[16]
In 2017, he was called up to represent the Finland U17s, but failed to make any appearance.[17]
On 15 March 2021, Thiaw was called up to represent the Germany U21s for the 2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.[18]
Aged just 21, he was called up to the Germany senior team by head coach Hansi Flick for the friendly matches against Peru and Belgium on 25 and 28 March 2023.[19] Thiaw made his international debut for Germany on 16 June, starting in a 1–0 loss to Poland.[20]
Thiaw is the son of a Senegalese father and a Finnish mother from Oulu who lived in Germany.[21] He speaks German, Finnish, Wolof, English and Italian.[22] Thiaw identifies as a Muslim. [23] On 14 November 2023, his girlfriend Aminah gave birth to his daughter, Moussa Laye.[24]
| Club | Season | League | National cup[a] | Europe | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Schalke 04 | 2019–20 | Bundesliga | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Bundesliga | 19 | 1 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 22 | 1 | |||
| 2021–22 | 2. Bundesliga | 31 | 2 | 1 | 0 | – | – | 32 | 2 | |||
| 2022–23 | Bundesliga | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – | 3 | 0 | |||
| Total | 57 | 3 | 4 | 0 | – | – | 61 | 3 | ||||
| AC Milan | 2022–23 | Serie A | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4[b] | 0 | – | 24 | 0 | |
| 2023–24 | Serie A | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9[c] | 0 | – | 30 | 0 | ||
| 2024–25 | Serie A | 22 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5[b] | 1 | 2[d] | 0 | 31 | 1 | |
| Total | 63 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 85 | 1 | ||
| Newcastle United | 2025–26 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | 1 | 0 | |
| Career total | 121 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 147 | 4 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | 2023 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 3 | 0 | |
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