«WHEN I PLAY, I PLAY TO WIN»
Meet Manuel Obafemi Akanji. Son, brother, husband, father and athlete. Obafemi means «loved by the king». A name that was chosen wisely, knowing the weight it carries. It is a constant reminder of where he comes from and where he wants to go.
Obafemi takes on his different roles with equal responsibility and a positive attitude. His spirit is fueled by discipline and focus. Whatever the challenge, he tackles it with a strong will to succeed fairly. This makes Obafemi an invaluable teammate – both on and off the pitch.
Striving to broaden his horizons beyond the obvious, Obafemi is passionate about discovering new styles and trends. He draws his inspiration from a wide array of subjects.
This is Obafemi. In all his facets. And he looks forward to meeting you.
Facts
Name Manuel Obafemi Akanji
Born July 19, 1995 in Neftenbach, Switzerland
Nationality Swiss / Nigerian
Height 187 cm
Position Central Defender
CLUBS
09/2022 – to date Manchester City
01/2018 – 08/2022 Borussia Dortmund
2015 – 12/2017 FC Basel
2014 – 2015 FC Winterthur
JUNIORS
2007 – 2014 FC Winterthur
2004 – 2007 FC Wiesendangen
Swiss national team
2017 – to date Swiss National Team (65 games and counting)
2014 – 2017 U21
2014 U20
Achievements
2024 Played at UEFA Championship for the Swiss National Team (round of 8)
2023/24 Premiere League Champion
2023 UEFA Super Cup Winner
2023 FIFA Club World Cup Winner
2023 UEFA Champions League Winner
2023 FA Cup Winner
2022/23 Premier League Champion
2022 Played at FIFA World Cup for the Swiss National Team (round of 16)
2021 Played at UEFA European Championship for the Swiss National Team (round of 8)
2021 German Cup Winner
2019 German Super Cup Winner
2018 Played at FIFA World Cup for the Swiss National Team (round of 16)
2017 Swiss Cup Winner
2017 Credit Suisse Rookie of the Year 2017
2016/17 Swiss Super League Champion
2015/16 Swiss Super League Champion
Partner
PUMA
Official UNICEF supporter
Follow Obafemi on Instagram
Press & Media
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«NO-ONE REALLY STARTS AS A DEFENDER»
BBC Sport, August 2024, Video
«ICH WURDE NIE ALS SUPERTALENT GEHANDELT»
NZZ am Sonntag, 10. März 2024
DownloadSELTENER EINBLICK – SO LEBT MANUEL AKANJI IM BESTEN TEAM DER WELT
sonntagszeitung.ch, 10. März 2024
Download«MELANIE HÄLT MIR DEN RÜCKEN FREI»
Schweizer Illustrierte, 23. Februar 2024
DownloadHIGHLIGHTS, INTERVIEW MIT SRF SPORT
SRF Sport, Januar 2024, Video -
«ICH WILL ALLES GEWINNEN, SO EINFACH IST DAS»
Aargauer Zeitung, 7. November 2023
Download
JOSI ZU AKANJI: «Fussballer haben ja nur ein Spiel pro Woche»
SRF Sport, 16. Juli 2023
Download«AUCH IN HEKTISCHEN MOMENTEN BIN ICH SEHR KLAR IM KOPF»
Blick SPORT, 10. Juni 2023
Download (PDF, 2,2 MB)
MANUEL AKANJI IMPACT COULD MAKE UNTHINKABLE MAN CITY EXIT MANAGEABLE
Manchester Evening News,
17 Mar 2023
Link
MANU AKANJI MOMENT AT CHELSEA PROVES BRILLIANCE OF MAN CITY TRANSFER BACKTRACK
Manchester Evening News, 6 Jan 2023
Link
AKANJI MOVE
THE SUN, 12 Jan 2023
Link -
«INTELLIGENZ IST SEHR WICHTIG»
NZZ am Sonntag, November 2022
Download (PDF, 1,5 MB)«DANN SIND WIR ZU GROSSEM FÄHIG»
Tagesanzeiger, November 2022
Download (PDF, 480 KB)«DARAUF HÄTTE ICH NICHT GEWETTET»
Watson, Oktober 2022
Download (PDF, 125 KB)«I HATE THAT LIVERPOOL BEAT US. WE SHOULDN’T HAVE LOST …»
Daily Mail, October 2022
Download (PDF, 1,1 MB)AKANJIS TOTAL VERRÜCKTE TAGE
Blick Sport, September 2022
Download (PDF, 1 MB)
MANUEL AKANJI COULD PROVE TO BE SEASON'S BARGAIN BUY FOR MANCHESTER CITY
The Telegraph, 18 September 2022
LinkCITY EXCLUSIVE
Manchester Evening News, September 2022
Download (PDF, 1 MB)TRANSFER & BABYGLÜCK
SRF Sport, September 2022, Video -
SELBSTVERTRAUEN WAR NIE MEIN PROBLEM
Kicker, November 2021
Download (PDF, 5.1 MB)WER AN MIR ZWEIFELT, KENNT MICH NICHT
Aargauer Zeitung, November 2021
Download (PDF, 1 MB)«GANZ ODER GAR NICHT - DAS IST UNSER WEG»
Schweizer Familie, N° 33, 2021
Download (PDF, 4.4 MB)«FRAUEN STEHEN SCHNELLER WIEDER AUF»
NZZ am Sonntag, 06/06/2021
Download (PDF, 6.1 MB)40.32 mal 16.5?
11 Freunde, 07/05/2021
Download (PDF, 9.6 MB) -
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Contact
Sportmanagement
IFM, Franco Moretti
f.moretti@ifmsport.com
ifmsport.com
Kooperationsanfragen
Luminary, Vanessa Luperti
luperti@luminary.biz
Medienanfragen
Manchester City
press.office@mancity.com
Fanpost
Manchester City
fanmail@mancity.com
Schweizerischer Fussballverband
Worbstrasse 48
CH-3074 Muri b. Bern
marketing@football.ch