Manuel Akanji

Manuel Obafemi Akanji (born 19 July 1995) is a Swiss professional footballer who plays as a defender for club Manchester City and the Switzerland national team.

Youth football and early career
Akanji began his youth career with the local club in Wiesendangen. In May 2007, Akanji changed clubs and was a youth-team player for FC Winterthur, featuring for their Under-18 team and later with their second team. In the 2014–15 Challenge League, he became a regular starter for Winterthur having played two games for them during the second half of the 2013–14 season.

FC Basel
On 15 April 2015, it was announced that Akanji would transfer to FC Basel for the 2015–16 Swiss Super League season. He made his Swiss Super League debut on 26 September 2015 being substituted in against FC Lugano. Under trainer Urs Fischer, Akanji won the Swiss Super League championship at the end of the 2015–16 Super League season and at the end of the 2016–17 Super League season for the second time. For the club this was the eighth title in a row and their 20th championship title in total. They also won the Swiss Cup for the twelfth time, which meant they had won the double for the sixth time in the club's history.

As Swiss Champions, Basel qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League and started in the Group stage. Akanji played in all six games over the full 90 minutes and helped the team finish in second group position, thus qualifying for the next round. On 15 January 2018, Basel announced that Akanji had transferred to Borussia Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund
Akanji transferred to Borussia Dortmund on 15 January 2018 during the winter transfer window for a reported fee of €18 million He signed a four-and-a-half-year contract dated until June 2022. On 2 February, Akanji made his BVB debut as an 87th minute substitute for André Schürrle in a 3–2 win at 1. FC Köln.

On 27 September 2018, Akanji scored his first goal for the club and his first Bundesliga goal in a 7–0 victory over 1. FC Nürnberg. Akanji was widely criticised for his costly errors during Dortmund's failed challenge to FC Bayern Munich during the 2019–20 season. Akanji was one of the main players singled out as a weak link in the team.

Akanji played the full 90 minutes as Dortmund beat RB Leipzig 4–1 in the 2021 DFB-Pokal Final at the Berlin Olympiastadion on 13 May 2021.

Manchester City
On 1 September 2022, Akanji joined Premier League champions Manchester City, signing a contract until 2027 for a reported fee of £15 million. He made his debut for City five days later, starting in a 4–0 away win over Sevilla in the Champions League group stage. He made his Premier League debut on 17 September, starting in a 3–0 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers. He was voted the club's Player of the Month for October. On 17 May 2023, he scored his first goal at the club and in the Champions League with a header deflected by Éder Militão in a 4–0 home win over Real Madrid in the semi-final second leg. During the 2022–23 Premier League, Akanji played more minutes than any other Manchester City defender.

2023–24 season
On 21 October 2023, Akanji received his first red card for Manchester City in a 2–1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League.

On 25 October, he scored his first goal of the season in a 3–1 win over BSC Young Boys in the Champions League. He scored his first Premier League goal in a 6–1 win over Bournemouth on 4 November and, on 12 November, scored in a third consecutive match as City drew 4–4 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

International career


Akanji made two appearances for the Switzerland U-20 national team. His debut was on 7 September 2014 in the 0–0 draw against the German U-20 national team. From 2014, he was a member of the Switzerland U-21 team and made his debut for them on 26 March in the 0–3 defeat by the Italian U-21 team.

On 9 June 2017, Akanji made his debut for the Swiss senior team in a 2–0 win against Faroe Islands in a 2018 World Cup qualifying match, where he played the entire 90 minutes.

He was included in Switzerland's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and started all four of the team's matches as they reached the round of 16.

In May 2019, Akanji played in 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals, where his team finished fourth.

In 2021, he was named in the Swiss squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He started all five of Switzerland's matches as they reached the quarter-finals, scoring his kick as the Swiss beat France in a penalty shootout in the round of 16. However, in the quarter-final against Spain, he was one of three Swiss players to miss their spot kicks in the 4–2 penalty shootout loss.

On 24 September 2022, Akanji scored his first senior international goal against Spain in a 2–1 UEFA Nations League victory.

Akanji was a member of the Swiss squad for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and, on 7 December 2022, he scored the only goal for Switzerland in a 6–1 loss to Portugal in the round of 16.

On 7 June 2024, Akanji was named in Switzerland's squad for UEFA Euro 2024. He played the full match in the team's opening Group A fixture on 15 June, as the Nati defeated Hungary 3–1 in Cologne.

Style of play
Akanji is known for his cultured style of play, which is characterized by his technical ability, composure on the ball, and excellent passing range. He is also a strong and physical primarily left footed defender who is comfortable in one-on-one situations and is adept at intercepting passes and making tackles.

His ability to read the game and make crucial interceptions as well as his calmness under pressure is well-known among fans of the English Premier League. Akanji's passing ability is also a key part of his game, and he is often involved in building attacks from the back. His long-range passing is particularly noteworthy, and he is capable of playing accurate diagonal balls to switch the play and create space for his teammates. Due to his passing abilities, Akanji has been deployed as both a left-back and right-back, as well as occasionally a libero, much like teammate John Stones, by City manager Pep Guardiola.

Personal life
Akanji was born in Neftenbach, Switzerland, to a Swiss mother and a Nigerian father. His sister Sarah is a former footballer for FC Winterthur Frauen and Social Democratic Party of Switzerland politician.

In 2017, already a professional player, he completed his vocational training as a tradesman (″Kaufmann″). On Swiss TV in 2018 he showed excellent skills at mental calculation.

International

 * Scores and results list Switzerland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Akanji goal.

Honours
FC Basel
 * Swiss Super League: 2015–16, 2016–17
 * Swiss Cup: 2016–17

Borussia Dortmund
 * DFB-Pokal: 2020–21
 * DFL-Supercup: 2019

Manchester City
 * Premier League: 2022–23, 2023–24
 * FA Cup: 2022–23; runner-up: 2023–24
 * UEFA Champions League: 2022–23
 * UEFA Super Cup: 2023
 * FIFA Club World Cup: 2023

Individual
 * Swiss Super League Team of the Year: 2017–18
 * UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 2024