Malick Thiaw was born on 8 August 2001 in Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. He came through the youth academy of Schalke 04 and made his professional debut for the club in the Bundesliga, becoming one of Schalke's senior centre-backs before their 2021-22 Bundesliga relegation. He remained with Schalke through their 2. Bundesliga promotion campaign before attracting attention from Serie A clubs with his physical profile.
In September 2022 AC Milan signed him for around €7 million, an investment that looked sharp in retrospect as he developed rapidly into a reliable senior option for one of Italy's most demanding clubs. Under managers Stefano Pioli and Paulo Fonseca he grew into a consistent presence in Milan's defensive line, combining his physical attributes — pace, aerial strength and aggressive defending — with improving technical confidence in possession.
By the 2024-25 season he was an established senior starter for Milan, contributing across Serie A, the UEFA Champions League and domestic cup competitions. His partnership with various central defensive partners at Milan has demonstrated his adaptability and composure in high-stakes matches.
For Germany he received his first senior call-up and cap in 2022, becoming part of the squad for the home UEFA European Championship in 2024. His physical profile — pace, presence and aggression — complements Germany's more technically polished central defensive options.
Standing 1.93 m, Thiaw is a right-footed centre-back whose combination of aerial dominance, raw pace and aggressive one-versus-one defending draws comparisons with a younger Mamadou Sakho or a more attack-oriented Christoph Metzelder. His continued development at AC Milan has made him one of the most interesting central defensive profiles in the Bundesliga-to-Serie-A pipeline.