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It’s a cool, clear day in Manchester, and in the north of the former English industrial city, groups of construction machinery and workers in fluorescent vests and helmets stand. A brand new neighborhood is currently being built around the Etihad Stadium, home to what is currently the most successful football club in the world. On a curved, bright white pedestrian bridge you cross a busy street to the campus, Manchester City’s training ground.
We receive a British-friendly welcome and, equipped with green visitor wristbands, we proceed to the main building. The training ground is the size of an average Swiss village and consists of a small stadium, several other pitches and a multi-storey center with a weight room, hotel rooms for the players and treatment rooms.
Landscape of world stars and daily club life
When you walk through the door, you are standing in some kind of living Panini album. The English national player Jack Grealish (28) is standing in a corner signing autographs, the gigantic white-blonde star striker Erling Haaland (23) enters briefly, greets friendly and then leaves the building to drive into a sporty station wagon waiting for him in the parking lot. guard. In the middle of this scene of world stars and everyday club life, the Swiss Manuel Akanji sits relaxed in an armchair and talks to the club’s communications manager. Manchester City’s communications department alone employs around 20 people, the size of a global company.
Manuel “Manu” Akanji (28), raised in Wiesendangen near Winterthur ZH, has been part of this excellent team for two years, which under the leadership of coach Josep Guardiola (53) is experiencing the most successful season in its history, which started in 1880 , in the 2022/23 season: winning the third championship in a row, the prestigious FA Cup and the victory in the Champions League final against Inter Milan set the high notes. From central defender Akanji, who leads a quiet family life in Manchester with his wife Melanie (31) and their two sons Aayden (3) and Keeyan (1), we want to know what it is like to play in a club full of stars and which values what he wants to convey to his children and how long it takes for his artfully braided hair to be done.
Manuel Akanji, at the age of 28, you have already achieved more in your professional life than others do in their entire lives: does that make you proud, humble, or do you not even think about it?
Manuel Akanji: It makes me proud and grateful that I achieved my goals so quickly. Above all, the five titles we won last year give you an incredible feeling. A feeling I want to have again.
How do you avoid feelings of arrogance?
I’m actually a down-to-earth person and I try to be myself. The people around me ensure that this remains the case. The support of my wife Melanie is central to this. She ensures that I stay in the here and now.
And how does she do it?
How to do that in a relationship: If someone is misbehaving, talk openly with each other. And our two children, who greet me beamingly when I enter the house, always send my thoughts in a new direction.
From a mental perspective, what is the best way to deal with success: always remember it or mentally set it aside?
I see successes as valuable milestones. It is very motivating to know what a feeling the last title win created. I want to go back to the feeling I had when the final whistle blew.
Can you bring that back again?
Not every day, but every now and then – perhaps in a moment of fatigue, when there are still twenty minutes to play and I want to mobilize all my reserves again, then I turn memories into motivation.
Why do you like getting up in the morning to show up at the training pitch, even when it’s six degrees and raining?
I want to get better every day. Of course, like everyone else, there are times when I’d rather stay home in bed or with my family. But at the end of the day I can do my dream job, I really appreciate this privilege.
Do you agree that being a footballer is a very special profession?
Ultimately it is just top sport, but you do have a special view of football players. At the end of the day, we are all just people who like to play with the ball as a team, hopefully get the fans excited and make money at the same time.
Have you been able to maintain your childish joy in playing ball games?
That’s the most important thing. I enjoy this sport and want to get the best out of myself. If that is not the goal, I don’t need to do top sport anymore.
Can you imagine your career being something other than football?
At some point, of course. Football careers don’t last a lifetime, you never know what will happen. That’s why I completed an internship and I would be ready if I had to do something else. But right now, football is my focus.
Did your parents really insist that you complete your KV apprenticeship?
Fortunately, this was important to my parents. I first completed my internship on a regular basis for two years and then attended the United School of Sports. Ultimately, it all comes down to will – and of course that takes talent.
What is more important when playing football at your level: mental strength or physical strength?
Both are important, but for me the physical aspect is crucial. If you’re not fit, you can’t play. The mental side ensures that you can perform, improve and remain receptive.
I imagine it’s a challenge to lose the ball in front of 70,000 spectators and then have to suppress it to continue playing.
This is not easy and I have learned a lot in this area over the course of my career. As a young player I was much less able to deal with mistakes than I am now. It still irritates me, but I also know that I can’t change it anymore.
How do you get into the concentration tunnel before the match?
On the day of the match I talk to my mental coach on the phone for ten minutes. We talk about the line-up, what I plan to do, what to expect. This is a fixed process. When we go to the game with the team, I usually listen to music.
What are you listening to?
Mainly Afrobeat and likes to rap before the competition. Traditionally I play a game of “Uno” with Kyle Walker, so I’m calm and poised before kick-off. Only when I run onto the field to warm up do I enter the so-called tunnel.
What did you dream of when you were ten years old in Wiesendangen?
I wanted to play football. I started playing when I was six and wanted to become a professional from a young age. However, it wasn’t always so clear that I would make it.
What are you dreaming about today?
The most important thing for me is the well-being of my family.
Do you and Melanie have a division of who does what in family work, or does everyone do everything?
We have no set rules. My wife gets up earlier in the morning when I need more sleep and recovery time before the race. Otherwise we do everything together. But of course Melanie is often behind me. Without them I wouldn’t be able to perform as consistently.
What values do you want to pass on to your boys?
I think it is important to treat other people with respect and show appreciation for the people around them. And they can be proud of their origins.
Do you also mean skin color?
Yes, that’s part of it too.
Racism is always a problem in football. How do you see that?
I haven’t experienced any racism lately. I have been very well received in Manchester and I also feel at home in Switzerland.
You are ‘a number’, as they say in Switzerland. What is it like for you to play alongside world stars like Haaland or Grealish?
Now it’s normal, but when I first entered the locker room it was special. It’s incredibly motivating to be on the field with the best players in the world. And when I defend against them in training, I want to show my performance. And I think I’m at a level now where I can do that well. Being challenged every day by people like Haaland or Grealish is incredibly great.
Allow me an intimate final question: How long does it take to braid your hair?
A specialist will come to my home for this. First the hair is braided for an hour, then it is cut or shaved for 30 minutes.
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team
|
SP
|
T.D
|
PT
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
 Germany
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Hungary
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Scotland
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Switzerland
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
team
|
SP
|
T.D
|
PT
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
 Albania
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Croatia
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Italy
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Spain
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
team
|
SP
|
T.D
|
PT
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
 Denmark
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 England
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Serbia
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Slovenia
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
team
|
SP
|
T.D
|
PT
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
 Austria
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 France
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 The Netherlands
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Play-off winner A
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
team
|
SP
|
T.D
|
PT
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
 Belgium
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Play-off winner B
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Romania
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Slovakia
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
team
|
SP
|
T.D
|
PT
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
 Czech Republic
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Play-off winner C
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Portugal
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
|
|
1
|
 Turkiye
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
