Nathan Aké facts for kids
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Aké playing for Manchester City in 2023
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Nathan Benjamin Aké | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 18 February 1995 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | The Hague, Netherlands | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Centre-back, left-back | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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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 | 89 | (6) | |||||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | 54 | (5) | |||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:31, 23 February 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:02, 7 June 2025 (UTC) |
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Nathan Benjamin Aké (born 18 February 1995) is a professional footballer from the Netherlands. He plays as a centre-back (a central defender) or left-back (a defender on the left side) for the English club Manchester City. He also plays for the Netherlands national team.
Contents
Playing for Clubs
Chelsea FC: Early Years
Nathan Aké was born in The Hague, Netherlands. He started playing football at a young age. He joined the youth system of ADO Den Haag when he was 8 years old. Later, he moved to Feyenoord at age 12. In 2010, when he was 15, he agreed to join the youth team of Chelsea.
Aké made his first appearance in the Premier League on 26 December 2012. He was only 17 years old at the time. He played in an FA Cup match for Chelsea in February 2013. He also started a game in the UEFA Europa League in April. Chelsea won the Europa League that year, and Aké was a substitute in the final. He was named Chelsea's Young Player of the Year in May 2013.
In 2013, Aké signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea. He made his UEFA Champions League debut in October 2014. He came on as a substitute and even helped set up a goal.
Loan Spells: Gaining Experience
To get more playing time, Aké was loaned to other clubs.
Reading FC (2015)
In March 2015, Aké joined Reading, a team in the EFL Championship. He played five games for them. Even though he only played one league game for Chelsea that season, his manager said he deserved a winner's medal.
Watford FC (2015–2016)
In August 2015, Aké went on loan to Watford, a newly promoted Premier League club. He signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea before this move. He made his debut for Watford later that month. He scored his first senior goal in December 2015 against Liverpool.
At Watford, Aké mostly played as a left-back. His hard work earned him the Watford Young Player of the Season award.
AFC Bournemouth (2016–2017)
Aké joined AFC Bournemouth on loan for the 2016–17 season. He made his debut in August. In November, he scored his first goal for Bournemouth against Stoke City.
On 4 December 2016, Bournemouth played Liverpool. They were losing 3–1 but came back to win 4–3. Aké scored the winning goal in the last minute! This was his third Premier League goal.
Return to Chelsea (2017)
Chelsea called Aké back from his loan in January 2017. He played in FA Cup matches for Chelsea. In April 2017, he started in central defence in Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final win against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley Stadium.
AFC Bournemouth: Permanent Move
On 30 June 2017, Aké signed a permanent contract with Bournemouth. He moved for a club record fee of £20 million. Chelsea also had a special clause that allowed them to buy him back later.
In his first full season with Bournemouth (2017–18), Aké was named both the Players' Player of the Season and the Fans' Player of the Season. He played in all 38 Premier League games that season. He scored against West Ham United and his old club, Chelsea.
In the 2018–19 season, Aké again played in all of Bournemouth's Premier League matches. He scored four goals. In May 2019, he scored a late goal against Tottenham Hotspur to give Bournemouth a 1–0 win.
In December 2019, Aké was captain for Bournemouth for the first time. He later had a hamstring injury that kept him out for six games. In July 2020, he got a groin injury that ended his season. On the last day of the 2019–20 Premier League season, Bournemouth was moved down to the EFL Championship.
Manchester City FC
On 5 August 2020, Aké signed a five-year contract with Manchester City for £41 million. He made his debut for City on 21 September 2020, helping them win 3–1 against Wolverhampton Wanderers. He scored his first goal for City on 27 September 2020.
On 3 November 2020, Aké played his first UEFA Champions League game for Manchester City. He scored his first Champions League goal on 15 September 2021. He shared that his father had passed away shortly after he scored that goal.
On 10 June 2023, Aké 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 28 September 2023, Aké was captain for Manchester City for the first time. On 26 January 2024, he became the first Manchester City player to score at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. This happened in an FA Cup match.
Playing for the Netherlands
Aké has played for the Netherlands at every youth level 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.
Aké could also have played for the Ivory Coast because of his father. However, he chose to play for the Netherlands. He made his senior international debut on 31 May 2017 in a friendly match. He scored his first goal for the Netherlands on 4 June 2018 against Italy.
Aké was part of the Netherlands squad for UEFA Euro 2020. He played twice as a substitute. He started all five matches for the Netherlands at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. They reached the quarter-finals but were knocked out by Argentina after a penalty shootout. In June 2023, he was part of the Netherlands' squad for the 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals. He was also named in the Netherlands' squad for UEFA Euro 2024.
How He Plays
Nathan Aké is known for being a very flexible player. He can play as a full-back, centre-back, or in defensive midfield. People say he is calm with the ball and reads the game well. He is a strong defender who is good at tackling and stopping opponents. He is also strong in the air, winning headers in both defence and attack. His ability to read the game means he is often in the right place to make important blocks and clearances.
Personal Life
Nathan Aké's father is from Ivory Coast, and his mother is Dutch. In the summer of 2022, Aké married Kaylee Ramman. They had their first child the following year.
Career Statistics
Club Appearances
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Chelsea | 2012–13 | Premier League | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 2013–14 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Premier League | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Premier League | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 5 | 0 | |||
| Total | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||
| Reading (loan) | 2014–15 | Championship | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Watford (loan) | 2015–16 | Premier League | 24 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 1 | ||
| AFC Bournemouth (loan) | 2016–17 | Premier League | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 12 | 3 | ||
| AFC Bournemouth | 2017–18 | Premier League | 38 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 40 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | Premier League | 38 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 39 | 4 | |||
| 2019–20 | Premier League | 29 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 30 | 2 | |||
| Total | 115 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | 121 | 11 | ||||
| Manchester City | 2020–21 | Premier League | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 13 | 1 | |
| 2021–22 | Premier League | 14 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 27 | 3 | |
| 2022–23 | Premier League | 26 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 3 | |
| 2023–24 | Premier League | 29 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 44 | 3 | |
| 2024–25 | Premier League | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| Total | 89 | 6 | 14 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 27 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 145 | 10 | ||
| Career total | 240 | 18 | 24 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 30 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 316 | 22 | ||
International Appearances
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | 2017 | 5 | 0 |
| 2018 | 5 | 1 | |
| 2019 | 3 | 1 | |
| 2020 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 11 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 11 | 0 | |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 54 | 5 | |
- Netherlands score listed first, score column indicates score after each Aké goal
| 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 |
Awards and Trophies
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
