Name: Manuel Akanji

• Full name: Manuel Obafemi Akanji
• Date of birth: July 19, 1995
• Place of birth: Neftenbach, Switzerland
• Nationality: Swiss (eligible for Nigeria through descent)
• Position: Centre-back / Right-back
• Height: 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)

Club career (highlights):

• FC Winterthur (youth / early career) — Developed in youth ranks and made early steps in Swiss football.
• FC Basel — Broke through into senior professional football, won domestic titles and gained attention for strong defensive performances.
• Borussia Dortmund — Transferred to the Bundesliga, established as a key defender with ball-playing ability and pace.
• Manchester City — Joined the English Premier League side, contributing as part of a top-level squad (roles and appearances vary season to season).

International career with Switzerland:

• Made senior debut for the Switzerland national team in 2015.
• Accumulated numerous caps across UEFA Nations League, European Championship qualifiers and final tournaments, FIFA World Cup qualifiers and tournaments.
• Participated in major tournaments such as UEFA Euro (including Euro 2016 and Euro 2020) and the FIFA World Cup (including 2018 and 2022 cycles), providing defensive stability and occasional contributions in build-up play.

Playing style and strengths:

• Comfortable as a left or right-sided centre-back and occasionally as a full-back.
• Strong in one-on-one defending, good pace for recovery, and composed on the ball — able to play out from the back.
• Good positional awareness and aerial ability.

Notable achievements:

• Domestic league titles and cups with FC Basel.
• Key contributor at top European clubs and regular Swiss international.

Off the field:

• Known for professionalism and leadership qualities.
• Multilingual: speaks German, English and other languages common in Swiss multicultural backgrounds.

Current status: Active professional player representing club and the Switzerland national team (status may change; club appearances and squad roles vary by season).