Manuel Obafemi Akanji is a Swiss professional footballer who is professionally known as Manuel Akanji. He plays as a defender for Premier League club Manchester City and the Switzerland national team. His shirt number is 25. He is well known for playing as a defender for the club Borussia Dortmund. He was included on Switzerland’s 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He previously spent his youth career playing FC Wiesendangen and FC Winterthur. Manuel has also paid for Basel and Winterthur in his pro career. Recently, he joined Premier League side Manchester City on 1st September 2022, signing a contract until 2027 for a reported fee of £15 million. He has earned a lovely fan base on his social media as he has gained more than 352K followers on his Instagram account.
Manuel Akanji Famous For
Where is Manuel Akanji from?
Manuel Akanji stepped for the very first time into the world on 19th July 1995 in Wiesendangen, Switzerland. His real name is Manuel Obafemi Akanji and his religion is Christian. He is of Swiss nationality and he belongs to a mixed ethnic background as he was born to a Swiss mother and a Nigerian father. Manuel’s present age is 27 which he celebrated recently in 2022 and as per his birthdate, his star sign is Cancer. Thus, his race is black. He is the son of his father, Abimbola Akanji, and his mother, Isabel Akanji. He also has two siblings named Sarah Akanji and Michelle Akanji.
What team does Manuel Akanji play for?
- Manuel Akanji started playing football with the local club in Wiesendangen as he changed clubs in May 2007 and was a youth-team player for FC Winterthur.
- He played for their Under-18 team and later with their second team and was in Winterthur’s starting eleven in the 2014-2015 Challenge League, having played two games for them during the previous season.
Basel
- Akanji was transferred to Basel for the 2015-2016 Super League season where he made his Swiss Super League debut on 26th September 2015 being substituted in against FC Lugano.
- He also won the Swiss Super League championship at the end of the 2015-2016 Super League season and at the end of the 2016-2017 Super League season for the second time.
- He was then qualified for the 2017–18 UEFA Champions League and started in the Group stage on 15th January 2018, Basel announced that Akanji had transferred to Borussia Dortmund.
Borussia Dortmund
- Manuel transferred to Borussia Dortmund on 15th January 2018 during the winter transfer window for a reported fee of 18 million euros where he signed a four-and-a-half-year contract dated until June 2022.
- He scored his first goal for the club and his first Bundesliga goal in a 7-0 victory over 1. FC Nurnberg on 27th September and became one of the main players singled out as a weak link in the team.
Manchester City
- Akanji joined Premier League side Manchester City on 1st September 2022, signing a contract until 2027 for a reported fee of £15 million.
International career
- Manuel Akanji made two appearances for the Switzerland U-20 national team and his debut was on 7th September 2014 in the 0-0 draw against the German U-20 national team.
- He was also a member of the Switzerland U-21 team from 2014 as he made his debut for them on 26th March in the 0-3 defeat by the Italian U-21 team.
- On 9th June 2017, he made his debut in the senior team in the 2-0 win against the Faroe Islands in the 2018 World Cup qualification match as well as he was included in the Swiss team’s 23-man squad for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
- Manuel played in the 2019 UEFA Nations League Finals, where his team finished 4th, and in 2021, he was called up to the national team for UEFA Euro 2020.
Awards and Achievements
FC Basel
- Swiss Super League: 2015-2016, 2016-2017
- Swiss Cup: 2016-2017
Borussia Dortmund
- DFB-Pokal: 2020-2021
- DFL-Supercup: 2019
Transfer News
- Manchester City on 01/09/2022 at 17.5M €
- Borussia Dortmund on 15/01/2018 at 21.5M €
- FC Basel on 01/07/2015 at 700k €
- Winterthur on 01/07/2014
- FC Winterthur II on 01/07/2013 From Winterthur U18
Who is Manuel Akanji Wife?
Manuel Akanji is a married footballer. He tied a knot with his beautiful wife Melanie Windler in 2019. The couple is having a good time together, which signifies they do not have affairs with other people. They are having a blissful life sharing lots of love with each other and they are very less likely to get divorced. The pair are also blessed parents of a daughter named Aayden Malik who was born on 10th May 2020. Concerning Manuel’s sexual orientation, he is straight.
What is the Net Worth of Manuel Akanji?
Manuel Akanji has a net worth of 2 million euros as of 2022 whereas he also earns considerable amount of salary which is around £2,704,000 per year. He has reached great heights in his career already and he still has a lot more to do. Manuel’s current market value is $33.00m and his highest market value was $44.00m as of 18th December 2018. Moreover, his major source of income is his football career.
How tall is Manuel Akanji?
Manuel Akanji is 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) tall and his body weighs around 187 lb / 85 kg. He has short dark brown hair and eyes color. Manuel also has inked tattoos on his body which has attracted a lot of people to him. In addition, his body build type is athletic.
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