Donyell Malen

1.1. Childhood and family

Malen's mother was a taxi driver and his father was a professional footballer. His parents separated when he was two years old, after which Malen and his mother moved to the nearby village of Westerland. Both his parents actively introduced him to football, teaching him to kick a ball in their garden.

Malen's father passed away when Donyell was young. He was primarily raised by his mother and grandparents. His grandmother is credited as the person who most encouraged him to pursue a football career, teaching him to play from the age of three. When Malen was seven, his mother remarried, and he subsequently lived with his step-father and four new half-siblings. During his childhood, he became a close friend of future Netherlands teammate Matthijs de Ligt, and was affectionately nicknamed "Don" by de Ligt's family.

2.1. Youth career

Malen began his football journey in 2007, joining the youth academy of Ajax. In 2015, despite significant resistance from Ajax, he made a move to the English club Arsenal. His decision to join Arsenal was partly inspired by his admiration for club legends Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.

At Arsenal, Malen played for their youth teams in competitions such as the Professional Development League, the FA Youth Cup, and the UEFA Youth League during the 2015-16 season. He quickly showcased his impressive talent in his debut season for the Gunners, scoring in the FA Youth Cup quarter-final against Coventry City, which Arsenal won on penalties. He also came off the bench to score against Manchester City in the semi-final of the 2016 FA Youth Cup at the Emirates Stadium. In total, he played 30 times during that season, scoring 14 goals. During the 2016-17 season, Malen was frequently deployed on the wing. He was included in the first-team squad for Arsenal's 2017-18 pre-season tour of Australia and China. He made his senior debut for Arsenal in a 2-0 victory over Sydney on 13 July 2017.

2.2. PSV Eindhoven

In late August 2017, Arsenal sold Malen to PSV Eindhoven. Upon joining PSV, he primarily played as a winger for their reserve team, Jong PSV, in the Eerste Divisie. He demonstrated his goal-scoring prowess by netting a brace in Jong PSV's 6-0 dominant win over Telstar on 24 November 2017. He scored again in a 3-0 victory against FC Oss on 27 November and contributed a goal and an assist in a 2-3 loss to Fortuna on 4 December. Malen continued his strong form, scoring in a 1-1 draw away to Go Ahead Eagles on 12 December and was subsequently named in Voetbal International's Jupiler League team of the week.

On 29 January 2018, Malen was awarded the Bronze Bull, recognizing him as the Best Talent for the second period of the 2017-18 Jupiler League. He made his senior debut for PSV in a 4-0 Eredivisie win over PEC Zwolle on 3 February 2018. Malen went on to secure the 2018 Eredivisie title with PSV. He also finished the 2017-18 season as Jong PSV's top scorer.

On 14 September 2019, Malen achieved a remarkable feat by scoring all five goals for PSV in their emphatic victory over Vitesse, a performance not seen from a PSV player in approximately 55 years. On 29 October 2020, he scored a brace in a 2-1 away win against AC Omonia in the 2020-21 UEFA Europa League. The 2020-21 season proved to be his most productive campaign for PSV, as he scored 19 goals in 32 Eredivisie matches, contributing significantly to his club's second-place finish. He also added another 8 goals across the UEFA Europa League and KNVB Cup competitions, alongside 10 assists, showcasing his versatility as a multi-faceted forward.

2.3. Borussia Dortmund

On 27 July 2021, Donyell Malen completed a transfer to Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund, signing a five-year contract. The transfer fee was reportedly around 30.00 M EUR. On 28 September 2021, he scored his inaugural UEFA Champions League goal in a 1-0 victory over Sporting CP. In the 2022-23 season, Malen scored nine league goals, finishing as one of his club's joint top scorers alongside Julian Brandt and Sébastien Haller. For his outstanding performances in April 2023, he was named the Bundesliga Player of the Month.

On 20 February 2024, Malen made history by becoming the first Dutch footballer to score against a team from his home country in the Champions League since Arjen Robben did so in 2016. This milestone occurred in a 1-1 draw against his former club, PSV. In the 2023-24 season, he achieved a personal best in the Bundesliga, scoring 13 goals, making him the club's top scorer in the league. During the same season, he made an appearance as a substitute in the 2024 UEFA Champions League final, where Borussia Dortmund ultimately lost 2-0 to Real Madrid.

2.4. Aston Villa

On 13 January 2025, Malen signed for Premier League club Aston Villa. The undisclosed transfer fee was reported to be around 21.00 M GBP plus add-ons, or approximately 25.00 M EUR. He made his debut for Aston Villa on 26 January 2025, coming on as a 65th-minute substitute for Leon Bailey against West Ham.

3.1. Youth national teams

Born in the Netherlands, Malen holds Surinamese heritage through his father. He has represented the Netherlands at every age group level, from the under-15 team up to the senior squad.

He played for the Netherlands U-15 team, making 5 appearances and scoring 1 goal in 2014, and for the U-16 team in 2014-2015, with 5 appearances and 2 goals. He was a member of the Netherlands under-17 team that participated in the 2015 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Bulgaria, where they were eliminated in the group stage. A year later, he featured in the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship held in Azerbaijan, where his team reached the semi-finals, losing to Portugal. Across his U-17 career, Malen made 20 appearances and scored 1 goal.

He subsequently played seven matches for the U-18 national team, scoring 1 goal, and 10 matches for the U-19 team, netting 8 goals. On 6 September 2018, he received his first call-up to the Netherlands U-21 team, making his debut in a goalless draw against England in Norwich. He made 8 appearances for the U-21 team, scoring 2 goals.

3.2. Senior national team

Malen made his senior international debut for the Netherlands on 6 September 2019, during a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against Germany in Hamburg. Coming off the bench in the 58th minute, he scored his team's third goal in a 4-2 victory. He remained a regular fixture in the subsequent qualifying matches, securing his place in the squad for the UEFA Euro 2020 tournament.

At UEFA Euro 2020, Malen made his first tournament appearance as an 89th-minute substitute in the Group B opener against Ukraine on 13 June 2021. He made another impact from the bench in the second group match, assisting Denzel Dumfries' second goal as the Dutch defeated Austria to secure their progression to the knockout rounds. He started in the team's final group match against North Macedonia, where he assisted Memphis Depay's opening goal in a 3-0 win. Malen retained his starting spot for the round of 16 match against Czechia, but was substituted after 57 minutes as the Netherlands suffered a 2-0 defeat and were eliminated from the tournament.

Despite scoring three goals during the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification campaign, Malen was notably omitted from the 26-man squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar. In June 2023, Malen was part of the Netherlands' squad for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals. He scored the opening goal in their eventual 4-2 loss to Croatia in the semi-final. He also started the third-place play-off match against Italy, where he was substituted at half-time for Steven Bergwijn.

On 29 May 2024, Malen was named in the Netherlands' squad for UEFA Euro 2024. In the round of 16 match against Romania, he scored a decisive brace in a 3-0 victory, securing his country's qualification to the quarter-finals. As of November 19, 2024, Malen has earned 41 caps for the Netherlands, scoring 9 goals.

6.1. Club honours

• PSV Eindhoven
  • Eredivisie: 2017-18
• Borussia Dortmund
  • UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2023-24

6.2. Individual awards

• Bronze Bull: 2017-18 Jupiler League (Best Talent for the second period)
• Eredivisie Player of the Month: September 2019, February 2021
• Bundesliga Player of the Month: April 2023

7.1. Club statistics

As of 22 February 2025.

7.2. International statistics

As of 19 November 2024.

Scores and results list the Netherlands' goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Malen goal.