Julián Malatini (born 31 May 2001) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or right-back for FC Cincinnati, on loan from Werder Bremen.
Club career Malatini started out with Unión Deportiva de General Cabrera at the age of five, prior to joining Ateneo Vecinos. He left at the end of 2017 to sign for Talleres, having impressed over a trial period. He made his reserves debut in 2019 against Racing Club, under the guidance of manager Diego Torrentes. He was promoted into their first-team squad towards the end of 2020 under manager Alexander Medina, as the right-back featured in a number of friendlies before the start of the 2020 Copa de la Liga Profesional; he didn't appear in that aforementioned competition, though did make the substitute's bench on six occasions.
After again going unused three times in the subsequent 2021 Copa de la Liga, Malatini's senior debut did arrive on 6 March 2021 during a 1–1 draw away to Sarmiento; he replaced Nahuel Tenaglia after sixty-six minutes.
On 3 January 2023, Malatini joined Defensa y Justicia on loan with an option to make the move permanent. In December 2023, the club announced that they had exercised their right to purchase, the player signing a three-year contract.
On 16 January 2024, Malatini signed for Bundesliga club Werder Bremen. The transfer fee was reported as €2 million. On 27 January, Malatini scored on his debut for Werder Bremen, getting the last goal in a 3–1 win against SC Freiburg in the third minute of injury time, two minutes after having been substituted on.
On 3 September 2026, Malatini was loaned to Major League Soccer side FC Cincinnati through June 2027.
International career In 2019, Malatini was selected on the preliminary squad list for the Argentina U18s' trip to Spain for the COTIF Tournament; though didn't make the final cut. He had already received a call-up from the U18s a year prior. December 2020 saw him receive a call to train with the U20s; just over a week after he had signed his first professional contract with Talleres.
Career statistics
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupIncludes Copa Argentina and DFB-PokalLeague cupIncludes Copa de la Liga ProfesionalContinentalOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsTalleres2020–21Liga Profesional de Fútbol—20———202021Liga Progesional de Fútbol191—302Appearances in Copa Sudamericana0—2412022Liga Progesional de Fútbol140—102Appearances in Copa Libertadores0—170Total331204040—430Talleres (C)2022Torneo de Reserva11————11Defensa y Justicia (loan)2023Liga Progesional de Fútbol16030100110—400Werder Bremen2023–24Bundesliga111————1112024–25Bundesliga10120———1212025–26Bundesliga110————110Total32220———342FC Cincinnati (loan)2026MLS——————Career total82370140150—1183
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