Nathan Benjamin Aké (born 18 February 1995) is a Dutch professional
footballer who plays as a
defender for
Premier League club
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
and the
Netherlands national team. Although he predominantly plays as a
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
, he has also been deployed as a
left-back.
Club career
Chelsea
Early career
Aké agreed to join the
Chelsea youth system from
Feyenoord in 2010 at age 15.
He had played at Feyenoord since age 12 after joining the club from
ADO Den Haag
Alles Door Oefening Den Haag (), commonly known by the abbreviated name ADO Den Haag (), is a Dutch association football club from the city of The Hague. They play in the Eerste Divisie, the second tier of Dutch football, following relegation f ...
.
Aké made his
Premier League debut on 26 December 2012 against
Norwich City as a 17-year-old, replacing
Juan Mata in added time at the end of a 1–0 win at
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is an association football stadium located in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and is the home of EFL Championship side Norwich City. The stadium is located toward the east of the city, near Norwich railway station and the River Wensum.
N ...
. He made his first start for the club in the
FA Cup on 27 February 2013 in a 2–0 win against
Championship team
Middlesbrough. He was chosen to start in a defensive midfield position for Chelsea in the second leg of their
UEFA Europa League quarter-final clash with
Rubin Kazan in Russia on 11 April, a match that finished in a 3–2 loss but resulted in a 5–4 aggregate victory. Aké was an unused substitute for Chelsea in the
Europa League final against
Benfica at the
Amsterdam Arena on 16 May, which Chelsea won 2–1. He was voted Chelsea's Young Player of the Year on 16 May, and made his first
Premier League start three days later in the 2–1 win against
Everton at
Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to:
* Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England
** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066
* Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge
* Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...
on the last matchday of the season.
On 8 August 2013, Aké signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea, lasting until 2018. Following his permanent promotion to the first team, on 21 October 2014, Aké made his
UEFA Champions League debut from the substitutes' bench, coming into the match for
Cesc Fàbregas in the 60th minute during a 6–0 home win over
Maribor
Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, th ...
, and provided an assist for
Eden Hazard's second goal.
Loan spells
On 25 March 2015, Aké was loaned to Championship club
Reading for one month, making his first of five appearances against
Cardiff City
Cardiff City Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd) is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1899 as R ...
in a 1–1 draw ten days later. Although he only made one league appearance for Chelsea the entire season, as a substitute in a 3–0 loss at
West Bromwich Albion on 18 May, manager
José Mourinho
José Mário dos Santos Mourinho Félix GOIH (; born 26 January 1963), is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Italian Serie A club Roma. Once dubbed "The Special One" by the British ...
said Aké would receive a winner's medal for his contribution to the team
that season.
On 14 August 2015, Aké completed a season-long loan move to newly promoted Premier League club
Watford, after having signed a new five-year contract with Chelsea. Eleven days later, he made his debut for the Hornets in a
League Cup second round match 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 ...
, which ended in a 1–0 defeat for his team. Aké played his first Premier League match coming off the substitutes' bench against
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
19 September 2015, helping Watford hold on for a 2–1 win. He scored his first senior goal on 20 December, opening a 3–0 win over
Liverpool at
Vicarage Road in the fourth minute, after goalkeeper
Ádám Bogdán dropped a corner kick.
During his time with the Hertfordshire side, manager
Quique Sánchez Flores primarily deployed Aké as a left-back.
His performance and work ethic earned him Watford's Young Player of the Season award.
On 29 June 2016, Aké joined
AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...
on loan for the
2016–17 season. On 21 August, he made his Bournemouth debut in a 1–0 away defeat against
West Ham United, replacing
Jordon Ibe
Jordon Ashley Femi Ibe ( ; born 8 December 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger.
After coming up through the youth system of Wycombe Wanderers, for whom he made his debut in the Football League as a 15-year-old, Ibe ...
following teammate
Harry Arter's dismissal after a challenge on
Cheikhou Kouyaté
Cheikhou Kouyaté (born 21 December 1989) is a Senegalese professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder or centre-back for Premier League club Nottingham Forest and the Senegal national team.
Kouyaté moved from Senegal to Belgium i ...
. Following the defeat to West Ham, Aké made his full debut against
Morecambe
Morecambe ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster district in Lancashire, England. It is in Morecambe Bay on the Irish Sea.
Name
The first use of the name was by John Whitaker in his ''History of Manchester'' (1771), w ...
in the
second round of the EFL Cup on 24 August. On 19 November, in his first Premier League start, Aké scored his first goal for Bournemouth in a 1–0 away victory over
Stoke City
Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...
.
On 4 December 2016, Bournemouth played Liverpool and overturned a 3–1 deficit with 15 minutes to go to win the match 4–3; Aké scoring the winning goal in the 93rd minute, his third Premier League goal and the second against Liverpool.
Return to Chelsea
Aké was recalled by Chelsea on 8 January 2017, making his first appearance for the club since the recall on 28 January in a 4–0
FA Cup fourth round victory over fellow West London club
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross.
Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...
. He was also selected to start in Chelsea's 2–0 win over
Wolverhampton Wanderers in the fifth round of the same competition on 18 February.
On 22 April 2017, Aké started alongside
David Luiz and
César Azpilicueta in central defence in Chelsea's 4–2 FA Cup semi-final victory over rivals
Tottenham Hotspur at
Wembley Stadium.
AFC Bournemouth
On 30 June 2017, Aké signed a contract with Premier League club Bournemouth on a permanent basis for a club record of £20 million transfer fee, with the player officially re-joining the club the following day, when the 2017 transfer window opened.
On 21 July, it was reported his former club Chelsea had inserted a buy-back clause for Aké in his transfer contract.
Manchester City
On 5 August 2020, Aké signed for
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...
, on a five-year deal.
Aké started and debuted in City's first game of the season on 21 September, winning 3–1 against
Wolverhampton Wanderers away from home in the Premier League. On 27 September 2020, he scored his first goal for City in a 2–5 home defeat against
Leicester City. On 3 November 2020, Aké made his
Champions League debut for City in a 3–0 home win over
Olympiacos in the
group stage.
Aké scored his first Champions League goal on 15 September 2021 in a 6–3 win against
RB Leipzig. He revealed afterwards that his father, who had been terminally ill, had died shortly after the goal.
International career
Aké has represented the Netherlands at every youth level since his under-15 debut in 2009, making 54 appearances in total. He has captained both the U17 and the U19 teams. Aké was selected into both squads that won the UEFA European Under-17 Championships in 2011 and 2012 in Serbia and in Slovenia, respectively.
Aké was also eligible to represent the
Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital is Yamoussoukro, in the centre of the country, while its largest city and economic centre is ...
through his father Moise.
Aké made his senior international debut in 2017 in a friendly against
Morocco, who were beaten 1–2 by the
Netherlands.
Style of play
Aké has been praised for his versatility, good passing range, reading the game quite well, being able to play at both full-back, centre-back and in defensive midfield, which has been attributed to a good work ethic, professionalism and gifted technique. His calmness on the ball and appearance have led to comparisons to former Dutch legend and Chelsea player
Ruud Gullit.
Personal life
Aké was born in
The Hague, South Holland. His father, Moise Ake, is from the Ivory Coast, while his mother Ineke Telder, is Dutch. Aké is a
teetotaller.
Career statistics
Club
International
:''Netherlands score listed first, score column indicates score after each Aké goal.''
[
]
Honours
Chelsea
*Football League Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
: 2014–15
* UEFA Europa League: 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 ...
* FA Cup runner-up: 2016–17
Manchester City
* Premier League: 2020–21, 2021–22
*EFL Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...
: 2020–21
* UEFA Champions League runner-up: 2020–21
Netherlands U17
* UEFA European Under-17 Championship: 2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
[
Individual
*]Chelsea Young Player of the Year
The Chelsea Player of the Year award is an official award given by Chelsea F.C., Chelsea Football Club, to award the player who has most contributed to the team's success and achievements in that year. The award is given based on votes by Chelse ...
: 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 ...
* Watford Young Player of the Season: 2015–16
*AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth () is a professional association football club based in Kings Park, Boscombe, a suburb of Bournemouth, Dorset, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest division of English club football. Formed in 1899 as B ...
Supporters Player of the Season: 2017–18
References
External links
Chelsea F.C. profile
*
*
Netherlands stats
at OnsOranje
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ake, Nathan
1995 births
Living people
Footballers from The Hague
Dutch footballers
Association football defenders
Association football midfielders
Chelsea F.C. players
Reading F.C. players
Watford F.C. players
AFC Bournemouth players
Manchester City F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players
UEFA Europa League winning players
Netherlands youth international footballers
Netherlands under-21 international footballers
Netherlands international footballers
UEFA Euro 2020 players
2022 FIFA World Cup players
Dutch expatriate footballers
Expatriate footballers in England
Dutch expatriate sportspeople in England
Dutch people of Ivorian descent