Marvin Akahomen

Marvin Akahomen
Personal information
Date of birth (2007-07-15) 15 July 2007 (age 17)
Place of birth Switzerland
Height 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Position(s) Centre-back
Team information
Current team
 Basel
Number 36
Youth career
FC Affoltern
2020–2021 Grasshoppers
2021–2023 Basel
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2022– Basel U21 31 (1)
2023– Basel 3 (0)
International career‡
2022 Switzerland U15 2 (0)
2022–2023 Switzerland U16 8 (0)
2023– Switzerland U17 11 (1)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:55, 15 October 2024 (UTC)
‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 24:00, 17 October 2023 (UTC)

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

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

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

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 17 December 2023[13]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League League National cup[a] Continental[b] Other Total
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Basel 2022–23 Swiss Super League 2 0 0 0 0 0 – 2 0
Career total 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
  1. ^ Appearances in the Swiss Cup.
  2. ^ Appearances in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

References

  1. ^ "Marvin Akahomen - Team" (in Swiss High German). Swiss Football Association. 17 October 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  2. ^ a b Swiss Football League (SFL) (1 May 2023). "Marvin Akahomen, der jüngste Spieler seit 13 Jahren" [Marvin Akahomen, the youngest player in 13 years] (in German). Swiss Football League (SFL) homepage. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  3. ^ a b Wendel, Sebastian; Peng, Yannick (30 April 2023). "15-Jähriger debütiert beim FCB" [15-year-old makes his debut with FCB] (in Swiss High German). Blick. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  4. ^ Keystone - SDA (14 May 2023). "FC St.Gallen 1879: Befreiungsschlag mit Sieg gegen Basel" [FC St.Gallen 1879: Liberation with victory against Basel] (in Swiss High German). Nau. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b red. SRF (15 May 2023). "FCB-Küken in der Super League - Akahomen und Onyegbule: Versprechen für die Zukunft?" [FCB chicks in the Super League - Akahomen and Onyegbule: a promise for the future?] (in German). SRF. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  6. ^ red UEFA (29 November 2023). "Marvin Akahomen". UEFA.com. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Aufgebot UEFA U-17 Europameisterschaft in Ungarn" (PDF). Swiss Football Association (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  8. ^ Staub, Emanuel (12 May 2023). "Schweizer U17-Nationaltrainer Sascha Stauch im Interview". Bolzplazz (in German). Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  9. ^ "U17-EM-Endrunde in Ungarn - Schweizer U17-Nati doppelt gegen Kroatien nach". SRF (in Swiss High German). 21 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  10. ^ Baumgartner, Stefan (21 May 2023). "U-17 Männer: Schweiz übersteht erstmals seit 2009 die EM-Gruppenphase". Swiss Football Association (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  11. ^ "EM-Out im im Viertelfinal - U17 unterliegt Deutschland im Penaltyschiessen". SRF (in Swiss High German). 27 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  12. ^ "Spiel um Platz 5 der U17-EM - Schweizer U17-Nati unterliegt England und verpasst WM-Quali". SRF (in Swiss High German). 30 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
  13. ^ Marvin Akahomen at Soccerway