Akanji opens up about Nigerian roots and first game at San Siro | OneFootball

Manuel Akanji is ‘proud’ of his Nigerian roots and reveals the first football shirt he had was from Christian Vieri at Inter: ‘ It was somehow with me.’

Akanji joined Inter on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy from Manchester City in the summer transfer window and spoke about his first few weeks in Milan with Inter TV.

The 30-year-old defender was born in Wiesendangen, Switzerland, to a Swiss mother and a Nigerian father and has an eagle tattooed on his left arm as a tribute to his Nigerian heritage.

“This is the eagle, from the Nigerian national team, with the football under it. It’s something I carry with me,” he explained.

CAGLIARI, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 27: Lautaro Martinez of Inter celebrates scoring the opening goal with a teammate during the Serie A match between Cagliari Calcio and FC Internazionale at Stadio Sant’Elia on September 27, 2025 in Cagliari, Italy. (Photo by Enrico Locci/Getty Images)

“Obviously, I play for the Swiss national team, but I’m still really proud of being Nigerian. I could only make one decision, but they are still with me all the way. It’s been a long time since I’ve been back to Nigeria. It’s hard for me to go back because I don’t have a break in the winter, and summer is the rainy season, so you never really know what you’re going to get, but when I was young, I went there three or four times.”

Akanji also spoke about his first game played at San Siro, against Inter, with Borussia Dortmund.

“I remember the atmosphere was unbelievable. I can’t wait to play there again. Hopefully, we’ll get a good result together,” he said.

DAEJEON – JUNE 18: (From left to right) Mark Iuliano, Christian Vieri and captain Paolo Maldini of Italy complain to referee Byron Moreno of Ecuador during the FIFA World Cup Finals 2002 Second Round match between South Korea and Italy played at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium, in Daejeon, South Korea on June 18, 2002. South Korea won the match 2-1 with a Golden Goal in extra-time. DIGITAL IMAGE. (Photo by Ben Radford/Getty Images)

“The first football shirt I had was from Christian Vieri. It was somehow with me. Even if I wasn’t an Inter fan, I always followed Inter because they’ve been one of the best teams in Italy, if not the best, even in the last two years. I followed a lot of teams, but Inter were really good in the past, and I’ve always been following the team.

“You never really know where you end up in your career. Now I am here and I’m really happy about it. I hope to win as many titles as possible and be a big part of it. I want to play everywhere I go and improve as a player and as a person; these are the most important things for me.”

Akanji has immediately become a regular starter at Inter, making five appearances across all competitions with the Serie A giants.

The Nerazzurri have won two games from two in the Champions League, but have only collected nine points in the opening five Serie A rounds.