Manchester City’s Nathan Aké arrived in England when Chelsea took him from Feyenoord in 2011.
The Blues initially included the defender in their youth squad before allowing him to debut for their senior team in December 2012.
Aké went on to feature 17 times for Chelsea before they sold him to AFC Bournemouth in 2017. Three years later, he got a move to Manchester City.
The Netherlands international had a difficult start to his life at the Etihad and is now a regular for the Premier League winners. His club form has seen him picked by Louis van Gaal to represent Oranje at the World Cup.
Algemeen Dagblad visited the centre-back at Manchester City, where they had a detailed chat about his career so far. When discussing his journey in England over the last decade, the 27-year-old insisted he doesn’t regret the steps he has taken so far in his career.
“You never know how it will turn out, but I have always had the fullest confidence that it could work, first in England and later specifically in Manchester and with Oranje. It has got better and better in recent seasons. I don’t like too much fuss. I focus on what I can do and what I need to do,” he said.
Aké went on to detail how his parents were convinced with his decision to join Chelsea in 2011.
“What’s bad about me is that afterwards I never want to have a feeling of ‘why didn’t I do that’. I could deal with people getting angry. Although the step from Feyenoord to Chelsea was the most difficult,” the Dutchman explained.
“If you tell someone like Leo Beenhakker that you are going as a 16-year-old, then that is something. Suddenly there was a lot of criticism from all kinds of people, and you are not used to that as a young player. But then you immediately learn: criticism will always be there.
“My father and mother made me decide for myself, but they did it in a smart way. At one point they said: ‘You stay with Feyenoord, we will cancel Chelsea today’. I reacted with great shock. Then it was clear to my parents that my decision was made.”
