Marvin Akahomen

Marvin Akahomen (born 15 July 2007) is a Swiss footballer who plays as a centre-back for Swiss Super League club Basel.

Marvin Akahomen
Personal information
Date of birth (2007-07-15) 15 July 2007 (age 16)
Place of birthSwitzerland
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s)Centre-back
Team information
Current team
Basel
Number36
Youth career
0000–2020FC Affoltern
2020–2021Grasshoppers
2021–2023Basel
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(Gls)
2022–Basel U-21?(?)
2023–Basel2(0)
International career
2022Switzerland U152(0)
2022–2023Switzerland U168(0)
2023–Switzerland U1711(1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 24:00, 17 December 2023 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24:00, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

Club career

Akahomen started played football with local amateur club FC Affoltern, regularly advancing through the ranks, before moving to the youth sector of Grasshoppers in 2020, and then joining Basel's academy in August 2021.[1] Having come through the latter club's youth ranks, he started featuring for Basel's reserve team in the Promotion League, the third tier of the Swiss football league system.[citation needed]

In April 2023, Akahomen received his first call-ups to the first team, under interim coach Heiko Vogel, following a number of injuries to squad players.[citation needed] He made his professional debut for Basel on 30 April 2023, coming on as a substitute for Riccardo Calafiori in the 89th minute of a 4–1 away league win over Winterthur: at 15 years and 285 days, he became the third youngest player to ever feature in a Swiss Super League match, behind Endoğan Adili and Sascha Studer, as well as the youngest defender to do so.[2][3]

Two weeks later, on 14 May 2023, he made his first appearance in the starting eleven, but the league game ended with a 6–1 defeat by St. Gallen. At the age of 15 years and 303 days, he became the second youngest starter in a match of the Swiss top-flight, behind only goalkeeper Sascha Studer on 1 April 2007.[4][5]

In the first half of the 2023–24 season these events, Akahomen featured for Basel's U-19 team in the UEFA Youth League.[6]

International career

Thanks to his origins, Akahomen is eligible to represent either Switzerland or Nigeria internationally.[2][5]

After playing for the Swiss under-15 and under-16 national teams,[3] in May 2023 the defender was included in the final Swiss squad for the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in Hungary.[7][8] During the tournament, Akahomen scored one goal,[9][10] as Switzerland eventually got eliminated in the quarter-finals,[11] before losing to England in the FIFA U-17 World Cup play-off.[12]

Personal life

Born in Switzerland, Akahomen is of Nigerian descent.[2][5]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 December 2023[13]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
ClubSeasonLeagueLeagueNational cup[a]Continental[b]OtherTotal
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Basel2022–23Swiss Super League20000020
Career total2000000020

References