Anthony Elanga #11

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Born in Malmö, he moved to England with his mother and sisters at the age of 11. “Mum always said that the opportunities were in England. I trusted what she said.” That proved true for Elanga, who joined Manchester United’s academy, broke into the first team, and even got his own chant - “Rhythm is a dancer, Anthony Elanga” - before moving on to Nottingham and Newcastle. Football runs in the family, as his father Joseph won the Swedish title with Malmö and played for Cameroon at the 1998 World Cup. Despite the 23-year age gap, father and son were once mistaken for each other when Anthony was with the national team in Malmö. “A lot of people wanted photos and things like that. They thought I was my dad. I said: ‘That’s not me.’” Elanga says he owes his father a lot and that his greatest strength isn’t his speed: “My main weapon is my mentality. I’m very grateful to have had a father with that mentality.”

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