Donyell Malen

Early career

Malen began his career with Ajax in 2007. Despite a great deal of resistance coming from Ajax, in 2015 he left Ajax to join English club Arsenal. Malen joined Arsenal due to his heroes Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp.

Arsenal

Malen began playing for the youth teams of Arsenal in the Youth Premier League together with the FA Youth Cup, and the UEFA Youth League in the 2015–16 season. He began to display his impressive talent during his debut season for the Gunners. He scored in the FA Youth Cup quarter-final away to Coventry City which Arsenal won on penalties. Coming off the bench, he scored against Manchester City in the semi-final of the 2016 FA Youth Cup at the Emirates Stadium. and played 30 times during the season, scoring 14 goals. During the 2016–17 season, Malen was used a great deal on the wing, and was included in the club's 2017–18 pre-season tour of Australia and China. He made his senior debut for Arsenal in a 2–0 win over Sydney on 13 July.

PSV Eindhoven

Malen was sold by Arsenal to PSV Eindhoven in late August 2017. Malen went on to play as a winger for Jong PSV. On 24 November Malen scored a brace in Jong PSV's 6–0 win over Telstar. He scored again in PSV II's 3–0 win over FC Oss on 27 November. Malen scored and picked up an assist in PSV II's 2–3 loss to Fortuna upon 4 December. He again scored in a 1–1 draw away to Go Ahead Eagles on 12 December. Malen went on to be named in Voetbal International's Jupiler League…

Youth

Born in the Netherlands, Malen is of Surinamese descent through his father. He has represented the Netherlands at every age group from under-15 to senior level. He was a member of the Netherlands under-17 team that reached the semi-finals of the 2016 UEFA European Under-17 Championship held in Azerbaijan.

Senior

The 20-year-old Malen made his senior international debut for the Netherlands on 6 September 2019, in a UEFA Euro 2020 qualifier against Germany in Hamburg. He came off the bench in the 58th minute and scored his team's third goal in a 4–2 victory. Malen was a member of the Netherlands squad for UEFA Euro 2020 and made his first tournament appearance as an 89th minute substitute in their Group B opener against Ukraine on 13 June 2021. He made another appearance from the bench in the second match, assisting Denzel Dumfries' second goal as the Dutch beat Austria to ensure their progress to the knockout rounds. He was selected to start in the team's final group match against North Macedonia and assisted Memphis Depay's opening goal of the 3–0 win. Malen retained his place in the starting line-up for the round of 16 match with Czechia but was substituted after 57 minutes as the Netherlands were beaten 2–0 and eliminated from the tournament. Malen scored three goals during 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification but was omitted from the 26-man squad for the tournament finals in Qatar. In June 2023, Malen was part of the Netherlands' squad for the 2023…

A quick player, Malen is a capable dribbler who has been noted for his pace and finishing, particularly with his first touch, but criticised for his low pass numbers; writing for The Athletic in 2025, Jacob Tanswell identified Malen as "not a traditional [number] 9, [number 10] or winger", instead more as a second striker. He has been likened by ex-Ajax youth coach Brian Tevreden to Chilean forward Alexis Sánchez.

Malen is a Christian. Born in Wieringen, Hollands Kroon, Malen is of Surinamese descent through his father. His mother separated from his father at a young age and he was later raised by his mother and grandparents. His mother re-married when he was seven, and he then lived with his new step-father alongside his four new half-brothers and sisters. Malen recognised his grandmother as the person who most encouraged him to become a footballer, teaching him how to kick a ball when he was three years old. Nicknamed "Don" by his friends and family, right after his first goal with Roma he has been renamed 'Bobby Malen' by fans, because of his surname's loose assonance to Bob Marley's. The player has shown appreciation for his new nickname, and the club used it in the video announcing the signing of his permanent deal. Malen was a childhood friend of future Netherlands teammate Matthijs de Ligt.