Ebenezer Akinsanmiro

By Pan-Africa Football contributor Deolu Akingbade

Position: Central Midfield

Current Club: Inter Milan (Italy)

DOB: 25 November 2004

Birthplace: Lagos, Nigeria

Height: 176 cm (5’9)

Akinsanmiro plays in a similar style to Andrés Iniesta. Both play either as a central midfielder or an attacking midfielder. Akinsanmiro is an orchestrator, someone who controls the midfield, kickstarting attacks with his technical skills and offensive input. He can play on either side in Inter’s 4-3-3 defensive formation, and he’s also played as the #10 in the 4-2-3-1. He’s played roles as a creator, a box-to-box midfielder, or even a mezzala, drifting in from the outside into the inside with his cutting, energetic playstyle.

He has great touch, dribbling skills, and vision. However, Akinsanmiro is also an intelligent interpreter of the game. He shares the same tendencies as Iniesta; he retains the ball, penetrates the defense from the outside, plays incisive one-twos, and often sends the ball to the wings. Iniesta and Akinsanmiro both work hard on offense and defense, are agile and athletic, and make big plays on both ends of the ball.

+ Very fast and agile. His small build helps him outpace defenders on counters. It helps that he’s super shifty and can turn easily.

+ Can play the full 90 minutes consistently and reliably. He can still be a playmaker through fatigue, which has helped him stay in the game for key minutes.

+ Deceivingly strong when it comes to tackling. A mixture of balance, bodily knowledge, and brute muscle helps him execute tackles, take opponents off their feet, and stay on his feet to withstand tactical fouls.

– Comes up short several times in aerial duels. His height makes it hard for him to overpower bigger defenders on the ball, which is why he often opts to contest second balls that come to him on the ground.

+ Solid dribbler with incredible ball control. He can take the ball upfield for huge counters, beat the press, and turn quickly and unexpectedly to draw fouls. He has a good touch on the ball and can control, shift, and kill the ball pretty easily.

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Good passer with a lot of vision. Akinsanmiro is reliable in possession and can pick out players on the move. He also goes for some imaginative passes that unlock the defense, but his long passes look iffy at times.

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Solid tackler who wins the ball a lot. Often goes for flashy slide tackles at the risk of yellow cards/injuries.

– Poor shooter from range who sends a lot of his shots flying past over the bar. Akinsanmiro only has one goal so far during his time in Italy. He can place shots on target, but he often takes shots that are way too powerful.

+ Eager to track back and contribute on defense despite being an attacking player by nature. He’s eager to put in a tough tackle or two when other teams are countering.

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Very aggressive, determined player. Lunges into tackles and is a straight-forward defender who likes to engage the defender quickly. Can be both good and bad. He gives his all on the pitch.

+ Consistently strives to be an option to pass to on offense, making sure he’s free from attackers on the press or defenders stuck and in a hurry. That involves dropping deep or making flashy runs.

– Releases the ball late in hopes of making a big play on the wings. Akinsanmiro often finds himself on the outside/half-spaces and tends to attempt risky dribbling moves when the situation requires more patience.

Rankings are from the 2022-23 Campionato Primavera 1 (Under-19 teams) season and includes 107 players who primarily play as a central midfielder with 400 or more minutes played:

Akinsanmiro is already a key player for Inter Milan Primavera, so he could reasonably be ready for a loan to a Serie B club or a low-quality Serie A side. But, don’t expect him to get many minutes in Inter’s senior team without the help of a big breakout season.

Akinsanmiro is already being heralded as one of the Super Eagles’ hopes for the future, along with Daniel Daga, Tochukwu Nnadi, and Victor Eletu. And for good reason. His vision, dribbling, passing, intelligence, tackling, and more invite memories to Okocha, Iniesta, and De Bruyne. He’s grown into the crown jewel of Inter’s academy with just two weeks of initial training. He’s already discussed the possibility of playing in San Siro and making a name for himself. But, despite this, Akinsanmiro is going up against some weak competition, and the transition to senior football could be hard, considering he has played only 50 minutes with Remo Stars’ first team. 

It seems like Akinsanmiro wants to build up through Inter rather than taking a loan out of Milan like Cesare Casadei with Chelsea U21s, and Andrea Pinamonti with several different clubs. It seems natural for his development, especially thanks to the fact he can train with the senior team and even play a few matches now and then, but if he wants it, the interest is certainly there. He’s been phenomenal for Inter Primavera, and he’s certainly good enough to get minutes in a Serie B team.