Akanji reaches for the triple: “Even in hectic moments I am very clear in my head”

They train under Pep Guardiola. How do you imagine working under him?
He is constantly looking for opportunities for improvement. He is 100 percent focused on football. He always wants to improve you as a player and the team. We rarely play several games in a row, even if we have won, he always adapts to the opponent. In the last league games, when we were already champions, we tried to take stuff to the FA Cup final or the Champions League final.

What is central to the training?
It’s all about tactics with and without the ball and positional play. Technically, at our age and at this level, you can’t improve too much.

What does the internal workings of the team look like?
What happens in the cabin stays in the cabin. She is our temple.

Do you often play games with colleagues?
I play UNO with Riyad Mahrez and Kyle Walker on almost every bus ride, on flights and sometimes before the stadium meeting, which we also occasionally play on the national team. I had to adapt a bit to the rules. These are different everywhere.

Also is there a dinner game?
That remains a secret (laughs).

As a teenager you were a fan of Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo. Were you bullied for that?
Most players didn’t even notice. There are a number of people on the staff who grew up in Manchester who supported ManUtd. I’ve had to listen to one line or the other, but it doesn’t matter anymore.

They are known for their math skills. What other talents do you have?
I try to do my best as a husband and father. And I memorize texts very quickly. I’m interested in these because they tell a story, which means they often describe what someone has experienced in their life or how someone goes about their daily lives.

What would have become of you professionally if football hadn’t worked out?
Musicians probably not, because I don’t have a very good voice. I did the CV. But I don’t know what I would have become, because at some point I stopped thinking about it too much.

You are a family man. What does family mean to you?
I have always felt very comfortable with my family. I was able to learn a lot from my two older sisters, and I still keep in touch with them and my parents. They also try to visit me as often as possible. Otherwise, we regularly talk on the phone or talk to each other in our family chat. The family is my home. You and your health are the most important things to me.

What was it like with two older sisters in your childhood?
I also did things I wouldn’t have thought of without my sisters. Sometimes we played with barbies or I put on a skirt. Later I watched Desperate Housewives with them. I can still benefit a lot from them today because they have more life experience than I do. My oldest sister Michelle also has children my children’s age. People enjoy doing something together or chatting about everyday life.

You have been abroad for more than five years, how has your relationship with Switzerland changed?
Hardly, except that I don’t live there anymore. I come to Switzerland as much as possible, but that is difficult because of the many competitions. Usually for a national gathering or during the holidays.

You have also commented on the subject of racism, for example being spoken to in English on a plane in Switzerland. How do you react in such situations?
I answer in Swiss German, occasionally putting a more offensive question on hold.

Experienced something similar abroad?
In Germany yes, in England it has remained very quiet for me so far. I enjoy life here with my family, I don’t live directly in the city, that’s why I don’t get in touch with fans that much in my private life, as I usually move back and forth between the training field and at home. It’s not like there’s a horde of people waiting at my door.

Her sister Sarah is a politician and was a member of the Zurich cantonal council from 2019 until this spring. Would that also be something for you?
I am actually interested in politics, but I don’t see myself in it later. It’s not an easy field, because everyone has a different opinion. However, I try to stand up for what’s important to me and also use my social media awareness level wisely.

For example?
I am dedicated to helping people in disadvantaged countries mainly Nigeria. My father was born there and I have relatives who live there. I try to support children who don’t have the same opportunities as me.

Prove them wrong. Show them wrong has become your motto and is tattooed on your forearm. Have you ever doubted yourself?
Of course there were occasional ones, but they were more snapshots. I never lost faith in my goals. I also have a good environment that I could always fall back on.

In Basel they tore their cruciate ligament in their first season…
Interestingly enough, I did get the tattoo then, but there was never a second of my doubts. I was young and didn’t think much about what might happen. There were other stages when there were doubts. If I wasn’t playing or my performances weren’t what I imagined.

With FC Winterthur there was a cup match against FC Basel with Breel Embolo when they seemed old. The game opened your eyes.
I realized that I am not yet at the level of FC Basel. This was a series champion and also successful in Europe. I was in the Challenge League in my first season at Winterthur. But that’s part of this job. I have evolved and improved from station to station year after year.

Your youth coaches, the late Peter Sommer and Thomas Stamm, mentioned two of your major sponsors in an earlier Blick interview.
Peter Sommer was my first coach at Winterthur after I moved from Wiesendangen at the age of eleven. He taught me a lot in terms of basic technique and general football knowledge. Thomas Stamm was my U18 coach at the time. At that time I went through a growth spurt, I became bigger, faster, stronger, so this was a very important phase for my later career.

Now you are on top of the world. What is your greatest strength?
Even in hectic moments and before big matches, my head is very clear and I don’t lose my nerve in heated situations. Rest is the wrong word, because you shouldn’t be on the field, but I act carefully and trust my strength.

In which areas can you still improve?
I hope that next season I will be even more dangerous, that I will score more goals, prepare and help the team even more offensively.

The highlight follows on Saturday, the Champions League final against Inter. How do you approach the game?
The anticipation is very great. We have a good chance of winning the title for the first time. I hope we continue with this.

And then the big party?
I hope we win the treble and have a great party afterwards.