Malick Thiaw: Successful graduate of the Italian School

On the way to the exit, Malick Thiaw now not simplest said good-bye to the Warsaw National Stadium, where he had just celebrated a excellent countrywide team debut, however additionally to the group he had captained until six months in the past: Although his club is within the U21 group of the DFB in the spring, whilst he became promoted to the 1-A squad for the primary time. But within the meantime, the legally feasible, eventual return has additionally been settled once and for all, so now he best has the first-rate wishes for his former colleagues who're going to the European Championship in a place referred to as Kutaisi (supposedly placed in Georgia) next week start: “I hold my palms crossed for the men,” said Thiaw, “they have got a pinnacle crew”.

The countrywide coach ended the U21 topic even earlier than the 21-12 months-old Thiaw made his debut. Hansi Flick made use of his authority to set recommendations and confiscated the defender for his personal functions, while Antonio di Salvo, who's responsible for the U21s, has to make do with Maximilian Bauer from FC Augsburg and Yann-Aurel Bisseck from the Danish club Aarhus GF within the tournament. There are already signs and symptoms of an thrilling side tale right here, because Bisseck, 22, is stated to have aroused a totally concrete hobby at Inter Milan, in order that there can be a Rhenish defender duel within the Lombard derby inside the destiny: Thiaw from Düsseldorf against Bisseck from Cologne. It doesn’t get any extra explosive than that.

Thiaw is a prime example of what the Italian faculty can deliver to German football. On Friday night he attracted attention with his attentive anticipation, his skilful tackles, his athletic intervention, and his brief going for walks faraway from his opponent. Once he tipped the ball off Robert Lewandowski’s foot as delicately as though he had played Mikado with him – he performed the operation without physical contact. Fifteen mins before the end, the defender nearly shot the equalizer with a turning shot.

Thiaw’s career has a various history. His mom is from Finland, his father from Senegal, he turned into born in Düsseldorf and raised within the Ruhr region with Schalke 04, where he started his apprenticeship inside the summer season of 2015. It would be an understatement to describe his most desirable performance as a hit. “Super performed, personality proven, very, excellent debut,” said Antonio Rüdiger, obviously very impressed. Rüdiger helped him from the start when he showed up with the countrywide group in March, Thiaw mentioned.

In the first 1/2 of the season he changed into nonetheless totally on the bench in Milan

When he joined AC Milan on the quit of the switch window final summer time, he needed to make do with out a consumer saint. The beginning wasn’t easy. Although Thiaw came from the master to the Italian Scudetto winner. With Schalke, however, he had only received the so-referred to as wheel cap – the trophy of the second department champions. The trade brought in around ten million euros for his old club. Money that Schalke urgently wished again, otherwise they would have kept their everyday defender.

Since then, Thiaw has made regular appearances in his antique home u . S ., and each time he has been extra popular than the closing time. During the first half of the season he became still inside the calcio apprenticeship, simplest in February teach Stefano Pioli commenced to consist of get right of entry to to the primary eleven. “I’m highly thankful that they gave me the threat at Milan,” stated Thiaw on Friday night time. In Schalke’s expert team, he came to Bundesliga honors for the primary time in the Corona spring of 2020, he had skipped the U19s of the legendary trainer Norbert Elgert, he rose directly from the U17s.

Speed, body, duel electricity and other warm belongings have been already recognizable lower back then. But the progress he’s made at Milan over the last 1/2-12 months has speedy-tracked him into a capability top-flight player. Some witnesses stated on Friday that the brand new guy ought to now become a everyday alongside Rüdiger. But Thiaw to begin with has the plain in thoughts: on Tuesday within the 0.33 and final a part of the international spherical, a possible comeback in Gelsenkirchen – and within the coming summer time, belonging to the European Championship squad. “It’s a clear goal for me,” he said. He stated no ifs and no buts.