The Dutch defender has hardly made any mistakes throughout our season of winning the treble, becoming a natural selection when healthy and even turning the role of left-back into his own.
Joao Cancelo started the season as our regular left-back, his role is almost unique in modern times, but over time Pep Guardiola played Ake in this position instead of using John Stones as a defender with high, creative duties.
Ake's performances on the pitch not only impressed his manager, but also made it nearly impossible for the Manchester City boss to rule him out.
Even more impressive, Akai is a centre-back, but his solid, serious defense at left-back has excelled time and time again.
And, after the best season of his career, ask anyone associated with the club and they'll tell you that it really couldn't have happened to a better person.
Modest and friendly off the pitch, Ake is also a fierce contender on the pitch and, despite his impressive periods at Chelsea and Bournemouth in the past, the 2022/23 season is the one in 28 years when everything seems to be on track
His first two years at City have been plagued by minor injuries that have made it difficult for him to regain momentum.
Between 2020 and 2022, he made a total of 40 appearances (41 last season), more than the previous two seasons combined.
And, in a team of world-class superstars, Akai made the final three shortlist for Etihad's Player of the Season, trailing only champion Ellin Haaland and runner-up Kevin De Bruyne in thousands of votes – a remarkable achievement.
Bournemouth fans gave a standing ovation when he returned to the Vitality stadium last February, perhaps a testament to the respect he receives, not to mention his popularity.
By analysing the stats of Ake's 2022/23 season, we can understand why he became an important part of this team that would eventually become the English and European champions.
No Manchester City player has won more duels than Nathan, who has a 72% win rate in such fights.
Even more impressive is his average of 27.4 successful forward passes per 90 minutes – the most of any Premier League player last season – to paraphrase a quote from a famous commentator in the past – remember, he's a left-back!
He is the fourth defender in the Premier League with 90 successful passes in 90 minutes (72.9), behind teammates Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji and Brighton's Lewis Dunk.
His Champions League credentials are outstanding.
He tops the list of aerial rivals in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League, winning 14 of 15 matches and his 76.3% success rate in all winning confrontations is second only to Borussia Dortmund's Nico Schlotebeck, who is a fraction higher than our versatile Netherlands international.
Last but not least – and in many ways the best stats – Akai averages 17.5 broken passes every 90 minutes in the Champions League, which is more than any defender in the game and second only to midfielder Toni Kroos (22.4). ) and Marco Verratti (17.6).
This illustrates why he has become an integral part of Pep Guardiola and why he was nominated as a starting XI in the club's most iconic victory against Inter.