Tijjani Martinus Jan Reijnders is a Dutch professional footballer born on 29 July 1998 in Zwolle, Netherlands.
He plays as a central midfielder, known for his dynamic forward runs, ability to carry the ball from midfield, box-crashing tendencies, goalscoring threat, and physical presence at around 1.85 metres tall.
Reijnders represents the Netherlands national team and, as of August 2026, is completing a transfer from Manchester City to Saudi Pro League club Al Qadsiah after one season in the Premier League.
He is of Indonesian descent through his Moluccan mother and was named after former Nigerian and Ajax winger Tijani Babangida.
Siblings
Tijjani has two younger siblings. His brother Eliano Reijnders is also a professional footballer who has played as a winger or right-back.
Eliano previously featured for PEC Zwolle and later moved to Indonesian club Persib Bandung, choosing to represent the Indonesia national team in contrast to Tijjani’s path with the Netherlands.
The brothers shared much of their youth football development, including time at FC Twente and PEC Zwolle, and maintain a close relationship.
Reijnders also has a younger sister named Syane, who is significantly younger and pursues dancing, including hip-hop and ballet, rather than football.
Also Read: Martin Baturina Siblings: Meet Marin and Roko Baturina
Career
Reijnders began his youth career with local Zwolle sides including WVF and PEC Zwolle, with spells at FC Twente and CSV ’28 before returning to PEC.
He made a solitary senior appearance for PEC Zwolle in the Eredivisie in 2017 while still working part-time stacking shelves at an Aldi supermarket.
He joined AZ Alkmaar that same year, spending time with Jong AZ in the Eerste Divisie where he scored regularly, and had a loan spell at RKC Waalwijk in 2019–20.
Upon returning he established himself as a regular in AZ’s first team, contributing to their run to the Europa Conference League semi-finals in 2022–23.
In the summer of 2023 he transferred to AC Milan for an initial fee of around €20 million.
Over two seasons in Serie A he became a key midfielder, particularly excelling in 2024–25 when he scored 15 goals across all competitions and started nearly every match.
In June 2025 Manchester City signed him on a five-year contract for a reported £46.5 million.
He scored on his Premier League debut in a 4–0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers and made 47 appearances with several goal involvements in his sole season at the Etihad, though his starts became more limited later in the campaign.
In August 2026 Manchester City agreed a deal with Al Qadsiah for his transfer, reported in the region of £50–52 million.
Internationally he debuted for the Netherlands senior team in 2023 and featured at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Accolades
With AC Milan, Reijnders won the 2024–25 Supercoppa Italiana and reached the Coppa Italia final as runner-up the same season.
He was named Serie A Best Midfielder for 2024–25 and selected in the Serie A Team of the Season as well as The Athletic Serie A Team of the Season.
At Manchester City he contributed to domestic cup successes including the EFL Cup and FA Cup during the 2025–26 campaign.
Earlier recognition included Eredivisie Team of the Month selections during his AZ days.
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