Jonathan Tah

Jonathan Glao Tah (German pronunciation: [ˈjoːnatan ˈtaː]; born 11 February 1996) is a German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Bundesliga club Bayern Munich and the Germany national team.

Tah was born in Hamburg, to an Ivorian father and a German mother. He grew up in the Hamburg district of Altona.

Tah started playing football at local clubs Altona 93 and SC Concordia before being snapped up by Hamburger SV. On 4 August 2013, Tah made his competitive debut for Hamburg in a DFB-Pokal match against SV Schott Jena. He made his Bundesliga debut on 21 September 2013 in a 2-0 home loss against Werder Bremen.

On 1 September 2014, Tah was loaned to Fortuna Düsseldorf for a year.

On 15 July 2015, Tah signed a five-year contract with Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen for a fee of €7.5 million. On 28 January 2017, he scored his first senior career goal in a 3–2 defeat against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

On 26 February 2018, Bayer Leverkusen announced the extension of his contract with the club until 2023. Tah made his 100th Bundesliga appearance for the club on 10 March 2019. In September 2021, he signed a contract extension with the club until 2025.

Tah was part of the Leverkusen side that won their first Bundesliga title ever during the 2023–24 season, clinching the league with a win against Werder Bremen on 14 April 2024. On 3 May 2024, he was included in the Bundesliga team of the season along with five of his Leverkusen teammates.

In September 2024, Tah announced that he would not renew his contract. He left Leverkusen as a free agent when his contract expired following the conclusion of the 2024–25 season.

On 29 May 2025, Tah joined Bayern Munich, signing a deal until 30 June 2029. It was reported that Bayern paid a fixed fee of €800,000, not including bonuses, to have him available for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup prior to the expiration of his contract with Bayer Leverkusen. On 26 September, he scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0 victory over Werder Bremen. Later that year, on 9 December, he netted his first UEFA Champions League goal in a 3–1 victory over Sporting CP.

After playing for the Germany youth sides from U16 to U21, Tah received his first call up to the senior Germany squad in March 2016 for friendlies against England and Italy. He made his debut in the former, coming on at half-time for Mats Hummels in a 2–3 loss. He was called up to replace Antonio Rüdiger at Euro 2016, but didn't play in the tournament.

Tah was not included in the Germany squads for the 2018 World Cup or the 2022 World Cup, but was named in Germany's squad for UEFA Euro 2024.

On 27 March 2026, Tah scored his first international goal for Germany in a 4–3 away victory against Switzerland.

On 21 May 2026, Tah was selected to Germany's 2026 FIFA World Cup squad by manager Julian Nagelsmann. In the Round of 32 against Paraguay, he scored the apparent lead-taking header via a corner in extra time, however it was controversially disallowed by VAR due to a foul against the goalkeeper by Waldemar Anton. In the subsequent penalty shootout, Tah skied his penalty over the goal in sudden death, as Germany were defeated on penalties in the World Cup for the first time.

UEFA Europa League Team of the Season: 2019–20, 2022–23, 2023–24

Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26

VDV Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26

The Athletic Bundesliga Team of the Season: 2023–24