Elvis Kofi Okyere Wiafe Manu (born 13 August 1993) is a Dutch professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a winger for Romanian

Liga I The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...

club

Universitatea Cluj Fotbal Club Universitatea Cluj (), commonly known as Universitatea Cluj or simply as U Cluj, is a Romanian professional association football, football club based in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj County, that competes in the Liga I, the first ...

. Manu has represented the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

from the U16 through to the U21 age group. However, on 24 June 2015, he switched his national allegiance to

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, whom he qualifies for through his Ghanaian heritage.

Club career

Feyenoord

After progressing through

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Dutch professional football club in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the club changed to various names before settling on being called after its ...

's youth academy, Manu signed a professional contract with the club in 2012. Manu made his professional debut for Feyenoord on 26 February 2012, in a 2–3 away defeat to PSV, coming on for

Jerson Cabral Jerson Cabral (born 3 January 1991) is a Dutch-Cape Verdean professional footballer who plays as a winger for Super League Greece club Ionikos. Career Feyenoord Cabral was scouted by Feyenoord at the age of seven. He made his professional ...

in the 90th minute. He scored his first professional goal for the club in a 2–3 away victory to

Heerenveen Heerenveen (, fry, It Hearrenfean ) is a town and municipality in the province of Friesland (Fryslân), in the Northern Netherlands. In 2021, the town had a population of 29,790 (1 January) while the municipality had a population 50,859 (1 July). ...

, in Feyenoord's final game of the 2011–12 season.

Loan spells

After making his first appearances for

during the 2011–12 season, Manu was loaned out to

Eerste Divisie The Eerste Divisie (, en, First Division) is the second-highest tier of football in the Netherlands. It is linked with the top-level Eredivisie and with the third-level Tweede Divisie via promotion/relegation systems. It is also known as the ...

side

Excelsior Excelsior, a Latin comparative word often translated as "ever upward" or "even higher", may refer to: Arts and entertainment Literature and poetry * "Excelsior" (Longfellow), an 1841 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow * ''Excelsior'' (Macedo ...

at the start of the

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

campaign, along with 4 other Feyenoord players. After returning to Feyenoord at the beginning of 2013–14 season, Manu was loaned out once again on 9 January 2014, joining

Eredivise The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

side

SC Cambuur SC Cambuur, also known as Cambuur Leeuwarden, or simply Cambuur, () is a Dutch football club from the city of Leeuwarden formed on 19 June 1964. They currently play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, after winning the 2020–21 Ee ...

until the end of the season.

Feyenoord first team

After spending most of the previous two seasons out on loan, Manu broke into the Feyenoord first team during the 2014–15 season, becoming a regular for the club. Manu was on the bench in Feyenoord's first game of the 2014–15 season, a 1–2 defeat at home to

Beşiktaş Beşiktaş () is a district and municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, located on the European shore of the Bosphorus strait. It is bordered on the north by Sarıyer and Şişli, on the west by Kağıthane and Şişli, on the south by Beyoğlu, and ...

in the Champions League third qualifying round, Manu came on in the 65th minute for

Wesley Verhoek Wesley Verhoek () (born 25 September 1986) is a Dutch former professional footballer. He was known as a striker who can also play as a winger on either side of the pitch. He spent most of his professional career at ADO Den Haag at different p ...

to make his

European European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...

debut. His first goal of the season came on 6 August 2014, on the return leg to Beşiktaş just seven days later, his goal came in the 74th minute, however he was unable to prevent Beşiktaş triumphing 5–2 on aggregate. Feyenoord were thus knocked of the Champions League and demoted to the

Europa League The UEFA Europa League (abbreviated as UEL, or sometimes, UEFA EL), formerly the UEFA Cup, is an annual football club competition organised since 1971 by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for eligible European football clubs. It ...

. In the Europa League play-off round, against

Zorya Luhansk FC Zorya Luhansk ( uk, ФК «Зоря» Луганськ ) is a Ukrainian football team. Zorya Luhansk is based in the city of Luhansk, Ukraine. However, because of the Russo-Ukrainian War, the team play their games at Slavutych-Arena in Zapori ...

, Manu scored in the 90th minute to put Feyenoord 4–3 ahead and send them into the Europa League group stage for the first time in six years. Feyenoord went on to win their group, with Manu scoring in both of the matches against

Standard Liège Royal Standard de Liège, commonly referred to as Standard Liège (; nl, Standard Luik ; german: Standard Lüttich ) or simply Standard in Belgium, is a Belgian professional football club based in the city of Liège. They are one of the most ...

. In the

knockout stages A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

, Feyenoord faced

Roma Roma or ROMA may refer to: Places Australia * Roma, Queensland, a town ** Roma Airport ** Roma Courthouse ** Electoral district of Roma, defunct ** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council *Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...

, with Manu scoring in the return leg, however Feyenoord lost 2–3 on aggregate. Manu went on to make 35 appearances and score 12 goals in all competitions for Feyenoord during the 2014–15 season.

Brighton and Hove Albion

On 29 August 2015, Manu joined

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

club

Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (), commonly referred to simply as Brighton, is an English professional football club based in the city of Brighton and Hove. They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league ...

for an undisclosed fee. He made his Brighton debut in a 0–0 draw, away to

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

on 19 September 2015, coming on at half-time for

Tomer Hemed Tomer Hemed ( he, תומר חמד; born 2 May 1987) is an Israeli professional footballer who plays as a forward for Israeli Premier League club Hapoel Be'er Sheva and the Israel national team. Early and personal life Hemed was born and raise ...

. He returned from his Huddersfield Town loan on 9 August 2016. In his first game for Brighton after the conclusion of his loan spell, Manu scored his first goal for the club in a 4–0

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

victory at home to

Colchester United Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1937, the club spent its earl ...

. Manu also scored for Brighton in his second appearance for the club in the 2016–17 season, a 2–4

victory over

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...

Huddersfield Town (loan)

On 1 February 2016, Manu joined

club

Huddersfield Town Huddersfield Town Association Football Club is a professional football club based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The team have played home games at the Kirklees Stadium since moving from Leeds Road in 1994. The ...

on loan until 2 May 2016. He made his Huddersfield debut as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat against

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

on 6 February 2016, coming on in the 78th minute for

Harry Bunn Harry Charles Bunn (born 21 November 1992) is an English professional footballer, who plays for Hyde United. Born in Oldham, Bunn began his career with Manchester City and transferred to Huddersfield Town in 2014. He was with Huddersfield for ...

. Manu was recalled from his loan spell at Huddersfield on 30 March 2016, after he found his chances limited at the club.

Go Ahead Eagles (loan)

On 31 December 2016, Manu joined

Eredivisie The Eredivisie (; ''"Honour Division"'' or ''"Premier Division"'') is the highest level of professional football in the Netherlands. The league was founded in 1956, two years after the start of professional football in the Netherlands. It is c ...

side

Go Ahead Eagles Go Ahead Eagles () are a Dutch professional football club from the city of Deventer. They play in the Eredivisie, the top tier of Dutch football, having achieved promotion from the second tier Eerste Divisie in the 2020-21 season. The club's h ...

on loan for the remainder of the 2016–17 season. On 8 May 2017, Go Ahead Eagles announced that the club has decided to end the loan of Manu prematurely due to unprofessional behavior before the game with Ajax, which was lost by 4 – 0 the day before the announcement.

Gençlerbirliği

On 10 July 2017, Manu joined Turkish side Gençlerbirliği on a two-year contract.

Akhisarspor

In July 2018, Manu signed for

Akhisarspor Akhisarspor Kulübü (Akhisar Sports Club), commonly known as Akhisarspor, is a Turkish professional football club located in the city of Akhisar.

. He made his debut in the

2018 Turkish Super Cup The 2018 Turkish Super Cup ( Turkish: TFF Süper Kupa) was the 45th edition of the Turkish Super Cup since its establishment as ''Presidential Cup'' in 1966, the annual Turkish football season-opening match contested by the winners of the prev ...

against

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

Beijing Renhe

In July 2019, Manu joined Chinese Super League side

Beijing Renhe Beijing Chengfeng Football Club () was a professional Chinese football club that last participated in the Chinese League One under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team was based in Fengtai District, Beijing and their hom ...

Ludogorets Razgrad

In August 2020, Manu signed a contract with Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad. On 29 October 2020, he scored three goals in the 3:4 away loss to Austrian side

LASK Linzer Athletik-Sport-Klub, commonly known as Linzer ASK () or simply LASK, is an Austrian professional Football team, football club, from the Upper Austria, Upper-Austrian state capital Linz. It is the oldest football club in that region, and pl ...

in a UEFA Europa League match.

Wisła Kraków

On 28 February 2022, Manu joined Polish

Ekstraklasa Poland Ekstraklasa (), meaning "Extra Class" in Polish, named PKO Ekstraklasa since the 2019–20 season due to its sponsorship by PKO Bank Polski, is the top Polish professional league for men's association football teams. Contested by 18 cl ...

side

Wisła Kraków Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. It currently competes in the I liga, the second level of Polish football league system. It ...

until the end of the season with a one-year extension option.

Botev Plovdiv

In August 2022, Manu returned to Bulgaria, signing a two-year contract with

Botev Plovdiv Profesionalen Futbolen Klub Botev, commonly referred to as Botev Plovdiv ( bg, „Ботев“ Пловдив, ) or simply Botev (within its associated city), is a Bulgarian professional football club based in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, that competes ...

Groningen (loan)

On 31 January 2023, he was loaned out to Dutch club

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

until the end of the season.

Universitatea Cluj

On 3 October 2023, Manu signed for Romanian

club

International career

Manu has represented the

in the U16, U17, U19,

U20 U20 or U-20 may refer to: Naval vessels * * , a sloop of the Royal Navy * , a submarine of the Austro-Hungarian Navy Other uses * Great truncated cuboctahedron * Meizu U20, a smartphone * Roland U-20, a synthesizer * Small nucleolar RNA SN ...

and U21 levels. However, on 24 June 2015, he switched his national allegiance to

, whom he qualifies for through his Ghanaian heritage. He is yet to play for their national team.

Career statistics

Honours

Akhisarspor *

Turkish Cup The Turkish Cup ( Turkish: ''Türkiye Kupası'') is a football cup competition in Turkish football, run by the Turkish Football Federation since 1962. During a brief sponsorship period with Fortis, its sponsored name was ''Fortis Türkiye Kupası ...

runner-up: 2018–19 *

Turkish Super Cup The Turkish Super Cup ( Turkish: ''TFF Süper Kupa''), as it is currently known, is the annual super cup football match contested between the previous season's Süper Lig champions and the Turkish Cup winners in Turkey. It was originally known a ...

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

Ludogorets Razgrad *

Bulgarian First League The First Professional Football League ( bg, Първа професионална футболна лига, Parva Profesionalna Futbolna Liga), also known as the Bulgarian First League or Parva Liga, currently known as the efbet League for spon ...

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

Bulgarian Supercup The Bulgarian Supercup ( bg, Суперкупа на България) is the trophy won in a football match held between the football club that has won the Bulgarian first football division in the season that ended in the year of the match and ...

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

References

External links

*
Elvis Manu Player Profile
on the Brighton & Hove Albion website
Elvis Manu Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Manu, Elvis 1993 births Living people Footballers from Dordrecht Dutch men's footballers Dutch people of Ghanaian descent Netherlands men's youth international footballers Netherlands men's under-21 international footballers Men's association football wingers Feyenoord players Excelsior Rotterdam players SC Cambuur players Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. players Huddersfield Town A.F.C. players Go Ahead Eagles players Gençlerbirliği S.K. footballers Akhisarspor footballers Beijing Chengfeng F.C. players PFC Ludogorets Razgrad players Wisła Kraków players Botev Plovdiv players FC Groningen players FC Universitatea Cluj players Eredivisie players Eerste Divisie players English Football League players Süper Lig players Chinese Super League players First Professional Football League (Bulgaria) players Ekstraklasa players Liga I players Dutch expatriate men's footballers Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Turkey Dutch expatriate sportspeople in China Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Bulgaria Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Poland Dutch expatriate sportspeople in Romania Expatriate men's footballers in England Expatriate men's footballers in Turkey Expatriate men's footballers in China Expatriate men's footballers in Bulgaria Expatriate men's footballers in Poland Expatriate men's footballers in Romania