Wiesendangen

Manuel Akanji spent three years there as a junior, from 2004 to 2007, before Winterthur's academy picked him up; from there the path ran through Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, where he won the Champions League in 2023, and Inter Milan, alongside call-ups for Switzerland at World Cups and European Championships.

Founded on 15 May 1965, FC Wiesendangen now plays in the 2. Liga Zürich, the sixth tier of the Swiss pyramid. It has never chased a first-team trophy at national level, and its most eye-catching cup run stayed local: a 6-1 win over FC Büsingen in the first round of the Swiss Cup in 2020. The first team has since reached three regional cup finals — 2022, lost after extra time, 2024, and 2026 — without turning any of them into a title.

Where the club has actually collected recognition is off the pitch. In 2022, the Zürich regional football association named it one of the six best clubs among more than 180 in the region. The following December it received a gold award for exemplary organisation and social responsibility. Its junior sides have had their moment too: the C-girls won the regional cup in 2023, beating FC Schlieren 9-0 in the final.

Home games are played at the Rietsamen, a ground that holds 1,300, with the club turning out in black and white.