Inter Milan New Boy Manuel Akanji Reveals Why He Chose Inter Milan After Leaving Manchester City | OneFootball

Manuel Akanji has revealed he chose to join Inter Milan from Manchester City because the Nerazzurri “are one of the best clubs in Europe. Nothing could be simpler.”

Speaking in an interview with DAZN, with quotes via FCInterNews, Akanji spoke candidly after finally meeting his new teammates.

The Swiss defender joined his national side for the most recent international break, which saw him score before flying to Italy for his first training sessions with Inter.

Akanji was asked if there is truth to the fact that his first shirt had Christian Vieri on the back, to which he replied “Yes it’s true! I think it was a coincidence but I remember it! I have to write to my mother and have her send me a photo so I can show it to you.”

The former Dortmund defender also gave his opinion on Italian football in general, stating “they play good football here, we always see it with Inter too.”

He continued, “They’ve reached the Champions League final twice in the last three years. That says a lot about Italian football.”

New Inter Milan Boy Manuel Akanji Looks Up To Ex-Milan Star Thiago Silva

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JANUARY 11: Manuel Akanji of Manchester City sits on the bench during the Emirates FA Cup Third Round match between Manchester City and Salford City at Etihad Stadium on January 11, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

In the interview, DAZN asked the Swiss star to name his role models.

Initially, Akanji admitted “as a child, it was Raul, the Real Madrid striker.”

However, he then added that “as a central defender, I always admired Thiago Silva. I followed him throughout his career and it was extraordinary – playing in so many leagues and was always at the highest level.”

At Inter, Akanji joins up with international teammate Yann Sommer.

When asked if he had the chance to speak with the goalkeeper yet, Akanji replied “Yann wrote to me right away, the day the news came out. I also had a friend who played here with another club: Ricardo Rodriguez. He also lived in Milan and sent me restaurant recommendations and helped me find an apartment.”

Sommer was not the only Inter teammate to contact the defender after his move to Italy, with Akanji revealing “Lautaro and Dumfries also wrote to me before I arrived.”

The new Inter signing also mentioned how he “spent a lot of time in Sardinia” as a child, which he described as “incredible”.

However, prior to his move to Inter, Akanji had “never been to Milan but my family is not far from here and it could become one of my favourite cities.”

New Inter Milan Signing Akanji: ‘San Siro One Of The Best In Europe’

Akanji said that San Siro is “one of the best” stadiums in Europe, “I think it is definitely in the top five,” he added.

Finally, the centre-back was asked what his goal is with his new team: “It’s a little difficult to talk about it because I only met them today, so I don’t really know what the expectations are.”

However, he confessed “When you play for a club like Inter, you want to win the league every year. And the Champions League too. They were so close to winning it but they didn’t manage it. So I hope I can help them achieve that goal this year. We’ll see how far we can go.”