Discover.
Entertain. Live. Asorock
Asorock.com Star · Professional footballer
Manuel Akanji
Manuel Obafemi Akanji
Manuel Obafemi Akanji is a Swiss professional football defender and senior Switzerland international of Nigerian and Swiss parentage. He developed through Swiss club football before playing for Borussia Dortmund and Manchester City, and spent the 2025-26 season on loan at Inter; his club status after that loan is not conclusively established by the available sources.
Star Mover ranking
Not ranked in Sports yet
0 points
Profile
About Manuel Akanji
Profile information current to .
Switzerland · Professional footballer, Defender
Show full profile Hide full profile
- Professional footballer
- Defender
At a glance
- Akanji has represented Switzerland at senior level since June 2017.
- Born in the Canton of Zürich, he is the son of a Nigerian father and a Swiss mother.
- His senior club career has included FC Basel, Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and a 2025-26 loan to Inter.
- His club honours include Swiss and German domestic trophies and, with Manchester City, the UEFA Champions League and two Premier League titles.
- At UEFA EURO 2024, he was selected for Switzerland's squad and named Player of the Match in the 1-1 group-stage draw with Scotland.
Background and development
Akanji was born on 19 July 1995 in Wiesendangen, in Switzerland's Canton of Zürich, to a Nigerian father and a Swiss mother. He began playing locally with FC Wiesendangen, developed through FC Winterthur and moved to FC Basel in 2015.
European club career
After winning two Swiss league titles and the Swiss Cup with FC Basel, Akanji joined Borussia Dortmund in January 2018 and won the 2019 German Super Cup and 2020-21 German Cup. Manchester City signed him in September 2022, and the club credits him with two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, Community Shield, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup during his first three years there. He joined Inter on a season-long loan in September 2025 under an arrangement that included a purchase mechanism.
Switzerland career
Akanji made his senior Switzerland debut on 9 June 2017 in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying victory away to the Faroe Islands. He was selected as a defender for UEFA EURO 2024 and received UEFA's Player of the Match award after Switzerland drew 1-1 with Scotland in the group stage. As of 19 August 2026, the Swiss Football Association listed him with 87 senior appearances and four goals.
Current status
The available evidence does not conclusively establish Akanji's club ownership or registration after the 2025-26 Inter loan. Manchester City and Inter documented the season-long loan and conditional purchase mechanism, while the Swiss Football Association continued to list Manchester City as his club station as of 19 August 2026.
Timeline
- Born in Wiesendangen, Canton of Zürich, Switzerland.
- Moved from FC Winterthur to FC Basel.
- Made his senior Switzerland debut in a World Cup qualifying win over the Faroe Islands.
- Joined Borussia Dortmund from FC Basel.
- Signed for Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund on a five-year contract.
- Joined Inter on a season-long loan from Manchester City with a conditional purchase mechanism.
Additional verified details
Current context
- The Swiss Football Association player page lists Akanji as a Switzerland senior international with 87 appearances and four goals. Caps and goals are cumulative statistics and may change after the access date.
- The Swiss Football Association player page lists Manchester City FC as Akanji's club station, with a listed start date of 1 September 2022. The listing should be read alongside the documented 2025-26 Inter loan. The available primary sources do not establish whether Inter exercised its purchase mechanism after that season.
Biographical facts
- Akanji was born on 19 July 1995 in Wiesendangen, in Switzerland's Canton of Zürich.
- He is the son of a Nigerian father and a Swiss mother.
- He began in local football at FC Wiesendangen, developed through FC Winterthur and moved to FC Basel in 2015.
- Manchester City states that Akanji won two Premier League titles, the FA Cup, Community Shield, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup during his first three years with the club.
- He made his senior Switzerland debut in a 2-0 World Cup qualifying win away to the Faroe Islands on 9 June 2017.
- He was included as a defender in Switzerland's UEFA EURO 2024 squad.
- UEFA named Akanji Player of the Match for Switzerland's 1-1 UEFA EURO 2024 group-stage draw with Scotland.
Connections
Affiliations
Affiliations associated with Manuel Akanji.
- Switzerland men's senior national football team Defender 2017–present
- FC Basel Defender 2015–2018-01
- Borussia Dortmund Defender 2018-01–2022-09
- Inter Defender on loan 2025-09-02–2026
News & Content
Latest stories featuring Manuel Akanji
Searching news and content…