The Swiss international defender joined on deadline day in last summer’s transfer window.
His intellect soon became apparent when videos surfaced of his maths skills on a Swiss TV show years earlier.
Buy your Manuel Akanji shirt here
That propensity for processing new information must surely have helped as the 27-year-old adapted excellently to the demands of Pep Guardiola to become a key player in our Treble winning campaign.
With 3,814 minutes in 48 appearances across all competitions, only three of his team-mates spent more time on the pitch than him.
When you consider that many City signings often take a season to bed in and understand our boss’ methods, it makes his instant impact even more impressive.
Akanji’s move to Manchester from Borussia Dortmund was a whirlwind process.
After judging his squad in the early weeks of the campaign, Guardiola had decided he needed another experienced defender. Within hours, Akanji was on his way to the CFA to complete the process.
However, he immediately boarded a plane back to Germany for the birth of his child.
That meant he missed our trip to Aston Villa that weekend but he was straight into the team for the Champions League demolition of Sevilla a few days later.
There he would remain for the vast majority of the season from that point, starting 40 of our 55 games after he joined including the two crucial finals against Manchester United and Inter.
While his composure on the ball impressed early on, he was one of our many players to hit a new level after the winter World Cup break.
Naturally a centre back, Akanji’s ability to play anywhere across the back line proved incredibly valuable to Guardiola as the demands of competing on all fronts stretched his squad.
Alongside Stones, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake and Kyle Walker, he was part of the meanest defence at home and against the giants of the continent.
An injury to Ake meant Akanji had to go to the left for a crucial top-of-the-table clash with Arsenal where he would come directly up against one of the Premier League’s in-form men in Bukayo Saka.
Not only did Akanji shackle the England winger, he attacked with a vigour that pushed our title challengers deep into their own half.
Come the end of the season, the stats told the story of an ever-reliable rock at the back of a side who had hit the greatest heights possible in club football. For City to build from the back and create our countless chances, it required a brave player starting attacks from the back.
He had a pass completion rate of 93.3% in the Premier League in 2022/23, the highest of any player to attempt at least 500 passes.
He ranked second in the Premier League for ball carries (601), second for progressive carries (350), third for carry distance (6,263 metres) and third for carry progress (3,531 metres).
He also played the most line-breaking passes of any central defender in the Champions League (140), with only Toni Kroos (211) and Rodrigo (145) playing more such passes overall.
In fact, it was his decision to push forward deep into Inter’s half midway through the second period of the Champions League final that resulted in Bernardo Silva’s deflected cross and Rodrigo‘s calm finish that sealed the Club’s first European trophy.
A pivotal part of a goal that will forever be replayed and a decisive feature of a great season, Akanji’s place in City history is already sealed.
