Tijjani Reijnders: Ethnicity, Transfer Fee & Career

There’s a story behind every footballer’s rise, but Tijjani Reijnders’ path to Manchester City is one of the most unusual you’ll hear. Before he was a Dutch international and a €55 million signing, he was stacking shelves at Aldi.

Full name: Tijjani Reijnders ·
Born: July 29, 1998 (age 28) ·
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) ·
Position: Midfielder ·
Current club: Manchester City ·
National team: Netherlands

Eight key facts about Tijjani Reijnders, one pattern: his identity blends Dutch and Indonesian roots, his career spans three countries, and his transfer value sits in the €50–60 million range.

The implication: Reijnders is a player of mixed heritage who has risen through Dutch football to reach the Premier League elite.

What ethnicity are Tijjani Reijnders?

Tijjani Reijnders is of Dutch nationality with Indonesian descent through his mother. His father is Dutch, and his mother comes from Indonesia, specifically of Moluccan heritage. This dual identity is shared with his brother Eliano Reijnders, who also plays football — but chose to represent Indonesia internationally while Tijjani plays for the Netherlands (The Athletic (sports journalism)).

Where is Tijjani Reijnders’ mother from?

• His mother is from Indonesia, of Moluccan descent (The Athletic (sports journalism)).

The pattern: the Reijnders family represents a binational football story — one brother for the Netherlands, one for Indonesia.

What is Tijjani Reijnders’ nationality?

• He is a Dutch national, born in the Netherlands (Bundesliga.com (league official site)).

Who are Tijjani Reijnders’ parents?

• Father: Dutch. Mother: Indonesian (Moluccan). His brother is Eliano Reijnders (The Athletic (sports journalism)).

What this means: Reijnders’ background is a blend of European and Southeast Asian heritage, a relatively rare combination in top-level football.

Is Tijjani Reijnders good?

Yes, by any measure — he earned a €55 million move to Manchester City while still in his mid-20s and has been capped 23 times for the Netherlands as of mid-2025 (The Straits Times (Singapore newspaper)).

What is Tijjani Reijnders’ playing position?

• Midfielder — central or attacking midfield role (Bundesliga.com (league official site)).

What are Tijjani Reijnders’ career statistics?

• Detailed stats are available on official league sites (Bundesliga.com (league official site)).
• He played for AC Milan before joining Manchester City (The Straits Times (Singapore newspaper)).

How did Tijjani Reijnders start his career?

• He began at PEC Zwolle’s youth academy, moved to AZ Alkmaar in 2017, then AC Milan in 2023 (The Athletic (sports journalism)).
• Before turning fully professional, he worked at an Aldi warehouse (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).

The trade-off: his rise from Aldi employee to Premier League star is a remarkable underdog story, but it also means his early career lacked the high-profile academy pedigree of some peers.

How much did AC Milan buy Tijjani Reijnders for?

AC Milan originally signed Reijnders in 2023 for an undisclosed fee. The exact figure has not been publicly confirmed, but multiple sources report the Manchester City transfer fee that followed.

What is Tijjani Reijnders’ transfer fee to Manchester City?

• Manchester City agreed an initial fee of €55 million (£46.3 million) (The Guardian (UK newspaper)).
• BBC Sport also reported £46.3 million (BBC Sport (national broadcaster)).
• AP News reported the initial fee as 55 million euros, approximately $63 million (AP News (wire service)).
• The Athletic reported an initial fee of £46.6 million ($62.9 million) with possible add-ons (The Athletic (sports journalism)).
• Sky Sports confirmed a £46.3 million deal on a five-year contract (Sky Sports (sports broadcaster)).

What is the breakdown of Tijjani Reijnders’ Manchester City transfer?

• The base fee is around €55 million (£46.3 million), with potential add-ons that could increase the total (The Athletic (sports journalism)).
• He signed a five-year contract until 2030 (Sky Sports (sports broadcaster)).

The catch: while the fee is in the €55 million range, the exact structure of add-ons remains undisclosed, creating uncertainty about the total cost.

What happened to Reijnders’ eyes?

In a social media post, Reijnders revealed he got a black eye from teammate Davinson Sanchez during a training session or match. The incident went viral, with fans speculating about the cause until Reijnders himself cleared it up.

Did Tijjani Reijnders get a black eye from Davinson Sanchez?

• Yes, Reijnders confirmed he got the black eye from Davinson Sanchez (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).

Why this matters: the black eye story became a humanizing moment, showing the physical toll of football even in training.

Why was Reijnders named Tijani?

Reijnders was named after Nigerian footballer Tijjani Babangida, a winger who played for Ajax and the Nigerian national team. His father, a fan of Babangida, chose the name.

Is Tijjani Reijnders named after Tijjani Babangida?

• Yes, his father named him after the Nigerian footballer Tijjani Babangida (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).

The pattern: Reijnders’ name is a tribute to African football, reflecting his father’s admiration for Babangida.

Timeline signal

• July 29, 1998 — Born in the Netherlands (Bundesliga.com (league official site))
• 2017 — Moved from PEC Zwolle youth to AZ Alkmaar (The Athletic (sports journalism))
• 2023 — Joined AC Milan (The Straits Times (Singapore newspaper))
• March 2025 — Extended AC Milan contract until 2030 (The Straits Times (Singapore newspaper))
• June 11, 2025 — Manchester City announced signing (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia))

The implication: Reijnders’ career accelerated rapidly after 2023, with a major transfer every two years.

“I got it from Davinson Sanchez.”

— Tijjani Reijnders, on his black eye (via social media, as reported by Wikipedia (community encyclopedia))

Reijnders has spoken about his early career in interviews, describing how stacking shelves at Aldi taught him discipline and the value of hard work before turning professional (The Players’ Tribune, as paraphrased by Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)).

For Dutch football fans, the Reijnders story is a reminder that talent can emerge from anywhere — even from behind a supermarket checkout. The lesson: a player’s background doesn’t determine their ceiling, but it does shape their character.

For a deeper look into his heritage, Tijjani Reijnders multicultural background is explored in detail elsewhere.

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