10 things you (probably) didn't know about Tijjani Reijnders | OneFootball

Tijjani Reijnders is our fourth signing of the summer after agreeing a move from AC Milan.

The 26-year-old has put pen to paper on a five-year deal at the Etihad Stadium and will be immediately available to Pep Guardiola at this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup.

Here are 10 things you may or may not know about our new midfielder…

Heritage

Reijnders’ father is from the Netherlands, while his mother is Indonesian.

That meant that our new man could have chosen to represent Indonesia internationally rather than the Netherlands.

Name origin

Reijnders got his first name from former Nigeria and Ajax forward Tijani Babangida, who was starring for the Dutch club when our midfielder was born.

Family fortunes

Tijjani’s dad Martin enjoyed a long career as a professional footballer, playing mostly for PEC Zwolle in the Netherlands before spells in the USA and Finland.

His younger brother Eliano is also a professional footballer, playing as a full-back or winger for PEC Zwolle. Eliano has registered to play internationally for Indonesia rather than the Netherlands.

WATCH: Watch: Reijnders’ first City interview!

Shelf stacking

While trying to make his way in PEC Zwolle’s academy as a teenager, Reijnders earned some money by working at a local branch of Aldi.

Speaking to Dutch media outlet NOS in 2023, he said: “I was talking to my family about that contrast, and from that we concluded that that time at Aldi has been very good for me. I have seen both sides of the coin."

Decision maker

Reijnders’ brilliant form for AZ Alkmaar in 2022/23 meant he had a choice of clubs that following summer as he looked to make his next move.

Barcelona were also in for Reijnders in the summer of 2023, but the midfielder was clear about his reasons for picking AC Milan instead.

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“I chose AC Milan purely because after talking to the coach Stefano Pioli I know exactly how they think offensively and defensively,” he said shortly after arriving at the San Siro.

“Here I can play in my own position, the place where I feel most comfortable. At Barca it was different. Actually, after the first time FaceTime I was immediately sold.”

Euro 2024 star

Reijnders made his international debut in September 2023 and quickly became a fixture in Ronald Koeman’s side.

That meant he started all six of Netherlands’ matches at Euro 2024 as his country reached the semi-finals.

Largely operating in a box-to-box role, it was a real breakthrough tournament for the midfielder at international level.

English opposition

Reijnders already has experience of coming up against some of the Premier League, facing West Ham, Newcastle and Liverpool in European competitions.

First up, he played every minute of the 2022/23 Conference League semi-final tie between AZ and the Hammers, even scoring his side’s only goal of the two legs.

Then, he featured in both games against the Magpies in the 2023/24 Champions League group stage as Milan edged them out to move into the Europa League.

Finally, he played the full match against Liverpool in last year’s league phase of the same competition.

Golden touch

Reijnders had an incredible season in front of goal in 2024/25, more than doubling his previous best tally in a campaign.

With 15 goals in 54 appearances, he averaged a strike every 3.6 matches from the centre of the park.

Before that, his highest goal return in a top-flight campaign was seven in 54 games in his final season at AZ Alkmaar.

That suggests our new man has added an extra element to his game in the last 12 months!

Compatriots

Reijnders will become the 12th Dutchman to play for City, joining Nathan Ake in the current squad.

Philippe Sandler, Karim Rekik, Nigel de Jong, Ronald Waterreus, Kiki Musampa, Paul Bosvelt, Gerard Wiekens, Alfons Groenendijk, Danny Hoekman and Michel Vonk have all previously represented the club.

There’s also a Dutch connection with our current women’s squad, with Kerstin Casparij and Vivianne Miedema hailing from the Netherlands.

Award winner

While AC Milan didn’t enjoy their best campaign in 2024/25, it wasn’t any fault of Reijnders.

In fact, he was named Serie A Midfielder of the Year – seeing off competition from a host of renowned names.

Here’s hoping he can build on that form in a City shirt!