| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 16 June 2006 | ||
| Place of birth | Nigeria | ||
| Position(s) | Full-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | LASK | ||
| Number | 41 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Simoiben Football Academy | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2023–2024 | Simoiben | ||
| 2023–2024 | → Gombe United (loan) | 6 | (1) |
| 2024–2025 | Juniors OÖ | 2 | (0) |
| 2025– | LASK | 6 | (0) |
| International career | |||
| 2022–2023 | Nigeria U17 | 8 | (3) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 5 October 2025 | |||
Emmanuel Michael (born 16 June 2006) is a Nigerian footballer who currently plays as a full-back for Austrian Bundesliga club LASK.
Michael was scouted by the Simoiben Football Academy when he was playing barefoot on the streets of Kaduna. [1] Following impressive performances with the academy and Nigeria's under-17 side, he was scouted by Danish and Spanish sides Midtjylland and Huesca, respectively. [1] He was also approached by Dutch and French sides Ajax and AS Monaco, respectively, with the latter reportedly making a bid to sign him before he turned eighteen. [2]
Despite this interest, he joined Nigeria Premier Football League side Gombe United on a year-long loan deal in October 2023. [3] In the same month, he was named by English newspaper The Guardian as one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide. [4] [5]
In August 2024, he joined Austrian side LASK, being assigned to the club's 'B' team, Juniors OÖ. [6] [7]
Called up to the Nigerian under-17 squad for 2023 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualification (named the 2022 WAFU-B U17), Michael scored in the opening game, a 4–2 win against Ghana. He followed this up with a brace in a 3–1 win against the Ivory Coast, earning three consecutive Man of the Match awards. [8]
Having helped his side win the 2022 WAFU-B U17, he was honoured by his teammates at the Simoiben Football Academy on his return to Nigeria. [9] It was later revealed that he almost missed the tournament; having arrived late to a training camp, the Nigerian coaches initially wanted him excluded from the team, but after a meeting between president of the Nigeria Football Federation, Ibrahim Musa Gusau, and the owner of Simoiben Football Academy, Nigeria international Moses Simon, he was reinstated. [10]
He was called up to the provisional under-20 squad for the 2023 African Games, [11] but missed out on the final squad due to an ankle injury. [12]
A free-kick specialist, [13] [14] Michael credited Nigerian international Moses Simon for providing him with boots after he scored from a free-kick in Nigeria under-17's win against Ghana in qualification for the 2023 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations. [15] He scored a further two free-kicks in a 3–1 win against Ivory Coast in the same qualification tournament. [16]
| Club | Season | League | Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Simoiben | 2023–24 | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Gombe United (loan) | 2023–24 | NPFL | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Juniors OÖ | 2024–25 | Regionalliga Central | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| LASK | 2024–25 | Austrian Bundesliga | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025–26 | Austrian Bundesliga | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
| Total | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | ||
| Career total | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 1 | ||