After moving from his training club Schalke 04 to Italy, Malick Thiaw developed into a regular at AC Milan and an international.
At the end of August 2022, Malick Thiaw moved from Schalke 04 to Italy for 8.6 million euros. He has been a regular at AC Milan since February, played in four Champions League matches (twice in the semi-finals) and made his first international appearance.
Accordingly, the Düsseldorf native can set his sights on an ambitious goal. “The European Championship in my own country is my biggest goal,” Thiaw revealed in an interview with “Sport Bild”. “As a footballer, you naturally want to play as much as possible – of course, playing for the national team is my dream. But for me, every squad nomination alone is something very special. For that, I have to keep working hard every day at AC Milan.”
Thiaw finished fourth in Serie A with Milan and will also compete in the top flight in the new season. And as a defensive specialist, he is in demand with the Italians. “We don’t play purely Italian at Milan. Nevertheless, our team loves to defend,” explains the 22-year-old. “The fans celebrate defensive actions like goals. From there, defending is trained almost obsessively.”
In his youth, the two-time international trained at Schalke and was educated there. “At Schalke I learned a lot from Norbert Elgert in the Knappenschmiede,” Thiaw emphasises. “After that, I tried to teach myself things – for example, by studying other players. I thought I was very intelligent there and knew a lot. Then I came to Italy and realised very quickly that I still have a lot to improve. The Italians are very strict, very meticulous. “
I was a bit nervous, but above all happy. This is the absolute highlight of my career so far.
Malick Thiaw on his national team debut
When he was first nominated in March, Thiaw had still remained without an appearance. After gaining experience against players such as new Bayern star Harry Kane, who he describes as a calm opponent, he was then allowed to make his debut for the German national team in the 1-0 defeat to Poland in June.
“It was unbelievable when the anthem played and I was standing on the field. I was a bit nervous, but mostly happy,” Thiaw recalls. “This is the absolute highlight of my career so far. The game went well for me despite the defeat. The national coach praised me for my performance.”
He says that a big idol for him at AC Milan was another ex-Schalker, Kevin-Prince Boateng. He also got to know superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic as a teammate. “I get approached about what he’s like every day, it feels like,” says Thiaw, explaining, “Zlatan was the second person to ever approach me at Milan. The team had a game, I was in the weight room, on my bike. Zlatan approached me directly. That was a stark moment. I wasn’t afraid of Zlatan, but I had respect. I was happy to share the dressing room from now on with one of the greatest personalities in world football in the last decades. “