Tijjani Reijnders: Netherlands and AC Milan midfielder explains mystery behind Nigerian name

AC Milan and Netherlands midfielder, Tijjani Martinus Jan Reijnders, has explained the mystery behind his traditional Nigerian name, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 25-year-old midfielder joined the seven-time UEFA Champions League winners from Dutch Eredivisie side, AZ Alkmaar last summer for £14m.

He was a part of Milan’s summer transfer swoop that also saw Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Noah Okafor, Samuel Chukwueze and Christian Pulisic join the prestigious Italian club.

His first name, “Tijjani”, sparked questions amongst fans as the central midfielder entered the limelight in Italy, with many wondering if he had African roots.

The name “Tijanni”, is typically an Islamic name, commonly borne by locals in West African countries, with a large proportion being the Yoruba tribe that occupies the south-western part of Nigeria.

The Milan midfielder was born into a football family, as his Father, Martin Reijnders played across eight clubs in a career that spanned twenty years. He spent the majority of his time playing as a centre-forward in the Dutch league before retiring in 2009.

Tijjani revealed that his parents were in awe of former Super Eagles right-winger, Tijani Babangida because of his flair during his time at Ajax, and they chose to take the Nigerian’s first name and give it to their son.

“There was a football player from Ajax and his name was Tijani Babangida. My parents liked his first name, so now, it’s me,” the 1.85m tall defender said in a video posted by the official Super Eagles X account.

Tijjani Reijnders ~ Tijani Babangida?

The AC Milan sensation reveals the origin of his first name. pic.twitter.com/CBrTvIlZX5

— Soar Super Eagles (@SSE_NGA) March 23, 2024

During Babangida’s time in Amsterdam, won the league cup twice, and the Eredivisie once, scoring 49 goals in 175 games across three and half seasons with de Joden. He didn’t feature as often as he’d like to for the Super Eagles, as he was second choice to the now stand-in Nigerian coach, Finidi George.