Million Manhoef has fighting in his blood and already knows what he wants to do after retiring from professional football.
Million Manhoef has spent nearly two years at Stoke City.(Image: Lindsey Parnaby/Shutterstock)
Former junior champion kickboxer Million Manhoef is still setting his sights on a return to the ring when he hangs up his football boots.
The 23-year-old Stoke City winger, who has five goals already this season, has fighting in his blood as the son of MMA legend Melvin ‘No Mercy’ Manhoef. His brother is Dutch and European boxing champion Gino Kanters
He had to put some of his own ambitions on the back burner almost a decade ago, but he fancies picking up boxing at a serious level sometime down the line.
“I started kickboxing when I was two, two-and-a-half, with my father and being in the gym always,” he sold Sky Sports. “When I was four I started football. I did both until I was about 14 and I went to Vitesse, when I couldn’t combine fighting and football.
“I had to choose one and I chose football because if it didn’t work out I could always go back to fighting but the other way around wasn’t possible. I left my other passion behind and chose football.
“There’s definitely a future for me (in fighting). After my football career I want to box – not kickboxing because I don’t think you have any groins anymore after football. I want to box after my career.”
Manhoef joined Stoke from Vitesse in January 2024 and has now made 72 appearances for the club. He still spars with his brother in the off-season – and hasn’t been put off by taking a beating.
He explained in an interview back in Holland last year: “After football I will fully focus on boxing and see what happens there.
“The plan is to get to an elite level. The plan is to become world champion. If we get to the Champions League and win the Champions League for Stoke and then after I stop at 30, 31 and become a world champion, my name will not be forgotten, I think. I will have made my own legacy and the greatest thing I want to do.
“I’m really set on that. It was nice in the summer when I had two months off and I still train a bit. My brother is European champion and Dutch champion and we spar a bit.
“First day, I was like, ‘Ooof!’ I got my *** handed to me and I thought maybe I shouldn’t stop playing football when I’m 30, maybe I should continue doing that but the days after I was starting to kick ***. Hopefully, when I’m 30, I can still do it and I can have two careers.”
Next up, however, Manhoef will be in the Stoke squad travelling to Ipswich for a mid-week Championship away day at Ipswich on Wednesday (7.45pm).
How good can Manhoef be? Join the debate here
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
£49
£35
Sky
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.
While you’re here, we have launched a new WhatsApp group to deliver the latest Stoke news directly to your phone. Click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in. If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave at any time by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking ‘Exit Group’, simple as that.
Every day, the StokeonTrentLive football desk strive to deliver news, features and transfer-related stories as a part of our overall package of Stoke City content.
Our dedicated reporter Pete Smith – who you can follow on X by clicking here – follows Stoke home and away and offers you comprehensive coverage from matchdays, press conferences and everything that happens in between.
With so much going on, we send out a daily free Stoke City newsletter which you can sign up for – and means you’ll have a round-up of the key stories land in your email inbox. Sign up to the Potters newsletter here .
If you prefer reading our Stoke stories on your phone, consider downloading the Stoke-on-TrentLive app, in which you can personalise the content you see by selecting Stoke City as one of your designated topics. You can get it from Apple here and for Android here