Some defenders win you over with a slide tackle into the advertising boards. Manuel Akanji does it by making sure the tackle never needs to happen. At 31 he has lifted the Champions League with Manchester City, anchored Inter to a Serie A and Coppa Italia double in his first Italian season, and played every minute of Switzerland's six matches at the 2026 World Cup. Very few of those achievements came with a headline attached. That's the point of him.
He is also one of the more interesting people in European football off the pitch: the son of a Nigerian father and a Swiss mother, a strong student who kept studying while turning professional, and a man who can apparently do mental arithmetic faster than most people can find the calculator app. Here's the fuller picture.
The File on Akanji
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Manuel Obafemi Akanji |
| Born | 19 July 1995, Wiesendangen, Switzerland |
| Age in 2026 | 31 |
| Nationality | Swiss (Nigerian heritage through his father) |
| Height | 1.86 m (about 6 ft 1 in) |
| Position | Centre-back, can cover either full-back spot |
| Club and number | Inter, No. 25 |
| Contract runs until | 30 June 2028 |
| Estimated net worth | $32 million to $36 million (Icon Polls estimate) |
Basel, a Bad Knee and a Slow Build
Akanji started close to home at FC Wiesendangen, then moved on to FC Winterthur. Basel signed him in 2015, and almost immediately a serious knee injury wiped out much of his first season. Plenty of young players never fully come back from that kind of setback at that age. Akanji did, and he became an important part of a Basel side that won two Swiss league titles and the Swiss Cup, with Champions League nights thrown in as an education.
Dortmund Made Him, City Proved Him
Borussia Dortmund brought him to the Bundesliga in January 2018. Over more than 150 appearances he filled out into a complete defender and collected the German Cup and German Super Cup along the way.
Manchester City signed him in September 2022, and the reaction was polite rather than excited. He wasn't one of the marquee signings. Within months he was one of Pep Guardiola's most trusted players, moving between centre-back, right-back and occasionally left-back as City won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in 2022/23. Another league title, the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup followed. For a player bought without fanfare, that's an absurd return.
Milan and the Double
Akanji joined Inter on the final day of the 2025 summer window, initially on terms connected to a possible permanent move. He settled fast. In 2025/26 he played 45 of Inter's 52 matches, scored twice, and was a fixture in the side that won Serie A and the Coppa Italia. By July 2026 Inter's own player material listed him as a permanent Nerazzurri player with a contract through 30 June 2028.
The fit makes sense. He can play in the middle or on either side of a back three, his City years left him comfortable in possession, and his pace lets Inter hold a higher line without panicking every time a striker spins in behind. His height helps in aerial duels, but his real edge is two-footed passing under pressure and reading danger a beat early.
What He's Worth, Roughly
Icon Polls estimates Manuel Akanji's net worth in 2026 at $32 million to $36 million. Treat that as an editorial estimate, not a bank statement. It's built from what's known about his career earnings at Dortmund, City and Inter, trophy bonuses from a long list of competitions, international duty and commercial work. His private finances have never been published.
His fixed gross salary at Inter for 2026/27 is estimated at about €6.94 million a year, or roughly €133,000 a week before tax and bonuses. That figure appears to reflect a new Inter agreement that began in July 2026. As with almost every footballer's wage, it's an estimate unless the club or player publishes the contract, and neither has.
A Father's Garden, a Mother's Racket
His father, Abimbola Akanji, is a Nigerian finance professional who played football at amateur level. His mother, Isabel Akanji, is a Swiss former tennis player. Manuel's first football lessons were informal ones: watching his dad play, then copying the moves in the family garden. With a tennis player in the house too, competition and discipline were simply part of daily life.
The family also cared about school, and it shows. Akanji was a strong student and kept up business-related studies while his professional career was taking off. He has sisters as well, including Sarah, who also played football.
Swiss Passport, Yoruba Name
The cleanest way to describe him: a Swiss footballer of Nigerian descent. He was born, schooled and developed in Switzerland, and he has represented Switzerland throughout his senior international career, including World Cups and European Championships.
The Nigerian side isn't a footnote, though. His middle name, Obafemi, is Yoruba, and Akanji is also associated with Yoruba culture. He has spoken proudly about his father's homeland and has an eagle tattoo inspired by Nigeria's national symbol. He belongs to both backgrounds. His football country is Switzerland.
Melanie, Three Kids and Not Much Spare Time
Akanji married Melanie in 2019. They have three children, including sons Aayden and Keeyan. Melanie mostly stays out of the spotlight, turning up in family photos and major announcements but little else, and the couple keep the details of home life to themselves.
Fatherhood clearly shapes how he talks about his life. In a 2026 UNICEF message he said nothing matters more to him than seeing his three children grow up safe, healthy and loved. He has also joked that three kids leave him with almost no time to watch football that he isn't playing in.
Faith: Unconfirmed, and That's Fine
You'll find biography sites confidently labelling Akanji as Christian, and others calling him Muslim. None of them point to anything he has actually said. His names and family origins prove nothing about personal belief; Nigeria and Switzerland are both religiously diverse. What he does talk about publicly is family, education, charity work with UNICEF and football. The honest answer is that his religion is private and not publicly confirmed.
Why He Keeps Getting Picked
Guardiola trusted him. Inter built around him within a season. Switzerland didn't take him off once at a World Cup. That's a pattern, and it says more than any highlight reel could. Akanji will never be the first name fans shout when they argue about the greats, but that argument is still worth having, so go and vote for the best football players of all time and see who you'd put ahead of the defenders who win quietly.
Worth Asking
Is Manuel Akanji Nigerian?
He is Swiss by nationality and plays for Switzerland, with Nigerian heritage through his father, Abimbola.
How much does Akanji earn at Inter?
An estimated €6.94 million a year gross, about €133,000 a week, before bonuses and tax. The contract itself hasn't been published.
How long is he tied to Inter?
His contract runs until 30 June 2028.
