Following the viral picture of Manchester City defender Manuel Akanji showing a tattoo of the logo of the senior national team of Nigeria on his arm, OwnGoalNigeria.com has an idea on why the 27 year old did it.
Akanji was born in Neftenbach, Switzerland, to a Swiss mother and a Nigerian father making him eligible for both countries, but at the age of 23 he was handed his senior debut by the country of his birth, making the step up from the various youth level teams he played for them.
However he still hasn’t forgotten his roots and proudly celebrated with a Nigerian flag around his waist when City won the UEFA Champions League for the first time in their history last season.
He played the entire duration of his team’s 1-0 win over Inter Milan in the summer. He started the move that led to the only goal of the game scored by Rodri. So far he has been one of the bargain signings of the Etihad outfit.
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The full fledged Switzerland senior international with 49 caps, the 27 year old showed he hasn’t forgotten his Nigerian roots when he picked up a Nigerian flag thrown at him from the crowd in Istanbul while celebrating his team’s win.
Reacting to a comment on his social media page after the final, he replied someone who asked why he has a Nigerian flag around his waist by saying ” I feel so Nigerian”. That probably also explains why he has the logo of the Super Eagles tattooed on his arm.
Signed for a fee of around £12m from Borrusia Dortmund, he was supposed to play the role of a back up defender to the regulars, but he took his chance and stamped his feet in the starting lineup with his versatility across the back four also a factor.
Osas Mahawi
