Bayern Munich’s Malik Tillman talks Munich, Robert Lewandowski, his family

Malik Tillman has long been considered one of the brightest talents in the Bayern Munich youth teams. After being promoted up to Bayern II from the club’s U-19 side at the end of the 2019/2020 season, Tillman snagged five goals to help the young Bavarians lift the 3.Liga championship.

Last year, Tillman was with Bayern II full time and was even on the bench for the first team in the DFL and UEFA Supercups. An ACL injury sidelined Tillman for remainder of the season, and he’s now fully recovered and back in training — not just with Bayern II but with the first team as well

Tillman recently did a Q&A with the Bayern Campus Instagram account about his family, strengths and weaknesses on the field, and his role models. It was recapped on the club’s website.

Back in 2015, Bayern signed Malik’s older brother Timothy for the club’s U-17 team from Greuther Fürth. Malik came with Timothy and joined the club’s younger teams. “We really wanted to take the chance and make the most of it,” Tillman said. “Being able to play at Bayern Munich is something special every time. It is an honor to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world and to wear the Bayern jersey.”

When it comes to his strengths and weakness, Tillman got pretty specific. “I still have to improve my left foot a bit and could be even more ambitious in many situations.” Tillman continue, “I would count my passing game and my game overview to my strengths and claim that I have a good finish.” Does he have a preferred position? “I prefer to play as a playmaker in the 10 position.”

As for role models, who do 19 year old attackers look up to these days? For Tillman, it’s kind of obvious.

“Besides [Romelu] Lukaku - he’s a machine - my favorite striker is definitely Robert Lewandowski.” Tillman gushed, “I especially like that he always works very hard on himself. You can definitely learn a lot from him in terms of ambition and professionalism. He is always 100 percent involved and gives his best in every training session. But if you are allowed to train with the professionals, you can learn an incredible amount. You should always believe in your own strengths and enjoy football.

Timothy Tillman is no longer with Bayern. He returned to Fürth a few years ago, and with a three year age gap, he has a lot of experience to give his younger brother.

“My relationship with my brother is very good. We regularly exchange ideas on a wide variety of topics and visit each other often,” Malik said. “Precisely because he has already experienced exactly what I am currently allowed to go through, he keeps giving me important advice for life and my athletic career.”

Photo by Matthias Balk/picture alliance via Getty Images