Nathan Aké #5

Profile

The left-footer spent some time undecided about his international identity. Born in the Dutch town of Voorburg to a Dutch mother and Ivorian father, Aké played for Netherlands youth teams, then in 2017 held several sets of talks with the Ivory Coast head coach Marc Wilmots about switching allegianc. But when Dick Advocaat became Netherlands manager, he swiftly called Aké up, giving him his first, binding international appearance. A product of the Feyenoord and Chelsea youth systems, he has won it all since joining Manchester City from Bournemouth in 2020. Like Stefan de Vrij, he’s a big pianist, having taken to it during the coronavirus pandemic. “In the first lockdown we had a lot of spare time, so I taught myself from a few apps,” he told the Telegraph. “At City, I’ve played in front of the guys once in Dortmund at the hotel. I got a good reaction, but I don’t like too many eyes on me. I actually played at my father’s funeral too, but I found it difficult – there were too many eyes on me. It’s different with football, you’re used to it, but with the piano your hands start to shake and then you lose the tempo and everything.”

Key stats