Donyell Malen

The 24-year-old attacker has been under contract with Borussia Dortmund since July 2021. The Dutch international made 73 appearances (19 goals / 14 assists) for BVB across all competitions by June 2023 (deadline for all information).

Performance explosion: from highs and lows to success

‘My first season was one of ups and downs, but that's not unexpected,’ he told the Dutch sports magazine Elfvoetbal and promised: ‘It's getting better and better from season to season.’

Dominance in the Bundesliga: Malen's impressive run of performances

In his second year at BVB, he repaid his patience with an explosion of performance. Malen scored each of his nine goals in the 2022/23 season after matchday 20.

Versatility and assertiveness: the qualities of Donyell Malen

These nine goals in the second half of the season were also a Bundesliga best, shared with Sébastien Haller, Randal Kolo Muani (Frankfurt) and Marvin Ducksch (Bremen). After just one assist before the winter break, he added four goals in the second half of the season; no other player in the league scored more than Malen (13) in the second half of the season. Within just a few months, the Dutchman has blossomed into an absolute top player and an unstoppable guarantor of success. He is fast (35.1 km/h), has a good right-footed shot and can play as a centre-forward and on the wings. He is also assertive. In 2022/23, he won a good 51 per cent of his duels for a striker.

Successful youth years and breakthrough at PSV Eindhoven

Donyell Malen was born in Wieringen (Noord-Holland) on 19 January 1999 to a Dutch mother and a Surinamese father, a former professional footballer. He first played for a club at the age of five and at the age of nine he was accepted into the youth section of Ajax Amsterdam, where he played in a team with current senior internationals Matthijs de Ligt and Justin Kluivert, among others, and was coached by former world-class player Dennis Bergkamp. His mother Mariska took on a lot for him, driving her son to Amsterdam almost every day; 40 kilometres there, 40 kilometres back, so that he could train at the youth academy. At U17 level, Malen took the plunge into FC Arsenal's youth academy, was about to make the leap into the professional squad after scoring 44 goals in two years, but left London shortly before the start of the 2017/18 season to return to his home country and accepted an offer from PSV Eindhoven. One day before his 19th birthday, he made his debut in the Eredivisie under coach Mark von Bommel and achieved the feat of scoring all five goals for his team in a 5-0 win over Vitesse Arnhem on 14 September 2019. In 2020/21, he scored 37 goals (27 goals, ten assists) in 45 competitive matches for PSV Eindhoven.

International experience and international status

After playing for all Dutch youth teams since the U15s and reaching the European Championship final with the U17s in 2016, Donyell Malen made his debut for the senior national team on 6 September 2019 in a 4-2 win over Germany. He has played around half of his international matches.

The fascination of Borussia Dortmund: Malen's impressions

The power of BVB impresses him: ‘Everywhere we go, Borussia Dortmund has a huge fan base. It's different to what I was used to at PSV.’ A SIGNAL IDUNA PARK filled to the last seat inspires him: ‘When we played at home in front of a full stadium for the first time since the pandemic, I realised how cool it is to be a part of it. I was really impressed. Only then did I realise how big the stadium is and how many fans the club has.’