The last day’s coup for Inter goes by the name of Manuel Akanji. The central defender, born in 1995, arrives from Manchester City on loan with an option to buy that could become an obligation under certain conditions (namely, if the Scudetto is won by the Nerazzurri and the Swiss player appears on the field for at least 50% of the matches).
For Inter, the signing of Akanji comes after the loan departure to Marseille of Benjamin Pavard. This morning, the Nerazzurri club officially announced that they have filed the Swiss player’s contract with the League. Below is the official statement announcing this signing:
Manuel Akanji is a new Inter player: the Swiss defender, born in 1995, joins the Nerazzurri from Manchester City on a temporary basis with an option to buy or an obligation if certain conditions are met.
In life, there are moments when you face seemingly impossible challenges, mountains to climb that appear insurmountable: there are situations in which calm and serenity become indispensable allies, qualities that allow you to find powerful strengths sometimes almost forgotten. This is how the life and career of Manuel Obafemi Akanji, the new Nerazzurri defender, have developed—capable of imagining new paths and routes on and off the pitch, even when facing difficult journeys.
Born in Wiesendangen in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland, on July 19, 1995, Manuel has always grown up immersed in the world of sports. His mother Isabel is a former Swiss tennis player, while his father Abimbola is a Nigerian finance expert and amateur footballer: by watching his father’s matches, Akanji fell in love with the game. In the family garden, Manuel and his sister Sarah tried to imitate their father’s moves, imagining themselves playing in the world’s biggest stadiums. Akanji’s imagination runs fast thanks to his brilliant mind, which comes to his aid in the most difficult moments. When he started playing for Wiesendangen at age 9, Manuel was physically more frail than his teammates: it took great mental strength and a lot of sacrifice to keep believing in a dream that seemed complicated, but Akanji proved to be special.
In 2007, he moved to Winterthur, the same club where his sister Sarah played for the women’s team. It was the start of a new journey, lasting six years, which led him to wear one of the most prestigious shirts in his country: after becoming a key player for Winterthur in the Swiss second division, in the summer of 2015 he moved to Basel. With the red and blue team, Akanji made his debut in the Swiss league, but played only 12 matches in his first season due to a serious injury. It was on this occasion that he showed everyone his willpower and incredible resilience: “prove them wrong” became his motto, a phrase he even has tattooed on his skin.
In the following two years, Manuel became a mainstay at Basel, making his Champions League debut in 2017/18 and winning two league titles and a Swiss Cup. In January 2018, the call came from Borussia Dortmund, a new adventure for Akanji. An adventure that helped him grow as a man and a player: in four and a half years in the Rhineland, Manuel played 158 matches, winning a German Cup and a Supercup. In 2019/20, his path crossed with Inter’s for the first time when he faced the Nerazzurri in the two group stage matches of the 2019/20 Champions League.
Now established at the international level, Akanji moved to Manchester City in the summer of 2022. Manuel is a versatile defender, able to play in different roles thanks to his great skill with the ball at his feet. The boy who played with his head held high has become a defender appreciated worldwide: what was once doubted about him has become his greatest strength. In England, Manuel has played and won a lot: with the Cityzens, he has made 136 appearances in three years, scored 5 goals, and won two Premier Leagues, an FA Cup, a Community Shield, a Champions League, a UEFA Super Cup, and the Club World Cup in 2023.
The twenty-third Swiss player in Nerazzurri history, Manuel is a veteran of his national team, with which he debuted in 2017. Akanji has made 71 appearances for the Swiss team, reaching the round of 16 twice at the World Cup in 2018 and 2022, and twice the quarterfinals at the European Championships in 2020 and 2024, being named in the tournament’s ideal team on the latter occasion.
Serenity, calm, and a quiet strength: with these great qualities, Manuel Akanji introduces himself to the Nerazzurri fans and is ready to begin his adventure with Inter.
Welcome, Manuel!
