Nathan Aké facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nathan Aké

Aké playing for Manchester City in 2023
Personal information
Date of birth	(1995-02-18) 18 February 1995 (age 30)
Place of birth	The Hague, Netherlands
Height	1.80 m
Playing position	Centre-back, left-back
Club information
Current club	Manchester City
Number	6
Youth career
2003–2007	ADO Den Haag
2007–2011	Feyenoord
2011–2012	Chelsea
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2012–2017	Chelsea	7	(0)
2015	→ Reading (loan)	5	(0)
2015–2016	→ Watford (loan)	24	(1)
2016–2017	→ AFC Bournemouth (loan)	10	(3)
2017–2020	AFC Bournemouth	105	(8)
2020–	Manchester City	88	(6)
National team‡
2009–2010	Netherlands U15	5	(0)
2010–2011	Netherlands U16	6	(3)
2011–2012	Netherlands U17	27	(3)
2012–2013	Netherlands U19	8	(3)
2013–2016	Netherlands U21	22	(2)
2017–	Netherlands	53	(5)
Honours Men's football Representing  Netherlands UEFA Nations League Runner-up 2019 UEFA European Under-17 Championship Winner 2011
Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:32, 14 January 2025 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:06, 10 September 2024 (UTC)

Nathan Benjamin Aké (born on February 18, 1995) is a Dutch professional footballer. He plays as a centre-back or left-back for the English club Manchester City. He also plays for the Netherlands national team.

Nathan Aké's Football Journey

Starting at Chelsea

Early Years and First Steps

Aké playing for Chelsea in 2013

Nathan Aké was born in The Hague, Netherlands. He joined the Chelsea youth team in 2010 when he was 15 years old. Before that, he played for Feyenoord from age 12. His first club was ADO Den Haag.

Nathan made his first game in the Premier League on December 26, 2012. He was just 17. He came on as a substitute for Juan Mata in a match against Norwich City. Chelsea won that game 1–0.

He started his first game for Chelsea in the FA Cup on February 27, 2013. They won 2–0 against Middlesbrough. Nathan also played as a defensive midfielder in a UEFA Europa League game. Chelsea won the Europa League that year, and Nathan was on the bench for the final.

On May 16, 2013, Nathan was named Chelsea's Young Player of the Year. A few days later, he started his first Premier League game.

New Contract and Champions League Debut

On August 8, 2013, Nathan signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea. He made his first appearance in the UEFA Champions League on October 21, 2014. He came on as a substitute and even helped set up a goal for Eden Hazard.

Playing on Loan

Nathan went on loan to other clubs to get more playing time.

• In March 2015, he joined Reading in the Championship for one month. He played five games there.
• In August 2015, he moved to Watford for a whole season. He signed another five-year contract with Chelsea before this loan. He scored his first goal as a senior player for Watford on December 20, 2015, against Liverpool. At Watford, he often played as a left-back. He was named Watford's Young Player of the Season.
• On June 29, 2016, Nathan joined AFC Bournemouth on loan. He scored his first goal for Bournemouth on November 19, 2016, against Stoke City. On December 4, 2016, he scored the winning goal in a thrilling 4–3 comeback win against Liverpool.

Back at Chelsea

Chelsea called Nathan back from his loan on January 8, 2017. He played in FA Cup games, helping Chelsea win against Brentford and Wolverhampton Wanderers. On April 22, 2017, he started in the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur, which Chelsea won 4–2.

Joining AFC Bournemouth Permanently

On June 30, 2017, Nathan signed a permanent contract with AFC Bournemouth. The transfer fee was a club record of £20 million. Chelsea also added a special clause in his contract. This clause meant they could buy him back later if they wanted to.

Moving to Manchester City

On August 5, 2020, Nathan Aké joined Manchester City. He signed a five-year contract for £41 million. He played his first game for City on September 21, 2020, in a 3–1 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for City on September 27, 2020, against Leicester City.

Nathan made his Champions League debut for Manchester City on November 3, 2020. He scored his first Champions League goal on September 15, 2021, against RB Leipzig. He later shared that his father had passed away shortly after he scored that goal.

On June 10, 2023, Nathan started in the Champions League final against Inter Milan. Manchester City won 1–0, completing a "treble" (winning three major trophies in one season). A month later, he extended his contract with City until 2027.

On September 28, 2023, Nathan was captain for Manchester City for the first time. On January 26, 2024, he made history by scoring Manchester City's first-ever goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This was in an FA Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur.

Playing for the Netherlands

Nathan Aké has played for the Netherlands at many youth levels since 2009. He played 54 games in total for the youth teams. He was part of the teams that won the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in 2011 and 2012.

Nathan could also have played for the Ivory Coast because his father is Ivorian.

He made his first game for the senior Netherlands national team in 2017. This was in a friendly match against Morocco. He scored his first goal for the Netherlands on June 4, 2018, in a 1–1 draw with Italy.

Nathan was part of the Netherlands squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He also played in all five matches for the Netherlands at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They reached the quarter-finals but lost to Argentina in a penalty shootout. In June 2023, he was part of the Netherlands team for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals. He was also named in the squad for UEFA Euro 2024.

How Nathan Aké Plays

Nathan Aké is known for being able to play in different positions. He can play as a full-back, centre-back, and in defensive midfield. People praise him for his good passing, how well he understands the game, and his calm approach with the ball. He is a strong defender who is good at tackling and stopping opponents. He is also good at winning the ball in the air. His ability to read the game means he is often in the right place to block shots and clear the ball.

Nathan Aké's Life Outside Football

Nathan's father, Moise, is from Ivory Coast, and his mother, Ineke Telder, is Dutch. In the summer of 2022, Nathan married Kaylee Ramman. They had their first child the following year.

Career Statistics

Club

International

Netherlands score listed first, score column indicates score after each Aké goal

List of international goals scored by Nathan Aké

No.	Date	Venue	Cap	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition	Ref.
1	4 June 2018	Juventus Stadium, Turin, Italy	7	Italy	1–1	1–1	Friendly
2	19 November 2019	Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands	13	Estonia	2–0	5–0	UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying
3	26 March 2022	Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands	21	Denmark	2–1	4–2	Friendly
4	27 March 2023	De Kuip, Rotterdam, Netherlands	36	Gibraltar	2–0	3–0	UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying
5					3–0

Trophies and Awards

Chelsea

• Football League Cup: 2014–15
• UEFA Europa League: 2012–13
• FA Cup runner-up: 2016–17

Manchester City

• Premier League: 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24
• FA Cup: 2022–23; runner-up: 2023–24
• EFL Cup: 2020–21
• FA Community Shield: 2024
• UEFA Champions League: 2022–23; runner-up: 2020–21
• UEFA Super Cup: 2023
• FIFA Club World Cup: 2023

Netherlands U17

• UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2011, 2012

Netherlands

• UEFA Nations League runner-up: 2018–19

Individual Awards

• Chelsea Young Player of the Year: 2012–13
• Watford Young Player of the Season: 2015–16
• AFC Bournemouth Supporters' Player of the Season: 2017–18

See also

In Spanish: Nathan Aké para niños