*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:14, 26 January 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:51, 14 June 2023 (UTC)
Malacia joined Feyenoord's youth system at the age of nine. He made his professional debut for the club in December 2017, and won the KNVB Cup in 2018. He was named in the UEFA Europa Conference League Team of the Season in 2022, after earning a runners-up medal in the competition. Later that year, he joined Manchester United.
Malacia was a youth international for the Netherlands from under-16 to under-21 level, before making his senior international debut against Montenegro in September 2021.
Malacia was born in Rotterdam, and joined the Feyenoord youth academy at the age of nine in 2008.[3] He signed his first professional contract with them on 2 December 2015.[4] He made his professional debut for Feyenoord in a 2–1 UEFA Champions League win against Napoli on 6 December 2017, wherein he played the full 90 minutes.[5] Malacia made his Eredivisie debut for Feyenoord in a 1–1 tie with SC Heerenveen on 13 December 2017.[6] He was an unused substitute in the 2018 KNVB Cup Final, where Feyenoord beat AZ Alkmaar 3–0.[7] On 25 May 2022, he started in Feyenoord's 1–0 UEFA Europa Conference League Final loss against Roma in Albania.[8] He was later one of five Feyenoord players named in the competition's Team of the Season.[9]
Manchester United
On 5 July 2022, Malacia signed a four-year contract with Premier League club Manchester United, with the option of a further year.[10] United paid Feyenoord an initial fee of €15 million (£13 million), with an extra €2 million (£1.7 million) in add-ons, to make Malacia the club's first signing under manager Erik ten Hag.[11] Two days later, it was confirmed that he would wear the number 12 shirt last worn by Chris Smalling.[12] On 7 August, Malacia made his club debut as a substitute in a 2–1 home loss against Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.[13] On 22 August 2022, Malacia started for the first time for United in a 2–1 win against Liverpool.[14] On 26 February 2023, he featured in the United squad to win the EFL Cup final 2–0 against Newcastle United, his first trophy with the club.[15] Malacia started United's final Premier League match of the 2022–23 season on 28 May 2023,[16] which proved to be his last appearance for over a calendar year. He was an unused substitute during the 2023 FA Cup Final, which United lost to Manchester City.
In the summer of 2023, Malacia underwent knee surgery[17] that kept him out of action for a year and a half. He made his long-awaited return to action on 12 November 2024 as part of United Under-21s against Huddersfield Town in the EFL Trophy.[18] He followed this up by making his first-team return sixteen days later, playing 45 minutes in the Europa League against Bodø/Glimt,[19] for which he was praised by manager Ruben Amorim.[20] On 2 December, Malacia also started a Premier League game for the first time in over 18 months, playing the first half of a 2–0 defeat to Arsenal.[21]
Loan to PSV
On 4 February 2025, Malacia joined Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven on loan for the remainder of the 2024–25 season.[22]
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