Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu explains meaning of his name

Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu explains meaning of his name

Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu has explained the poignant meaning of his middle name, while discussing how faith mixes with football.

The Danish full-back joined Manchester United in January 2025 and has been referred to with inclusion of his Igbo name, ‘Chinazaekpere’, for several months, to show full recognition of his heritage and religion.

We caught up with Patrick at his local church recently to discuss his beliefs and find out the full meaning of his name in the language spoken by the Igbo people in south-eastern Nigeria.

“Chinazaekpere means ‘God answers prayers’,” he explained.

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“That’s what my parents gave to me when I was born.

“Religion means a lot to me, it’s always been a big part of my life and my family’s. I’ve always been praying since I was young and I keep praying. 

“Family and the community is what I’ve grown up with in Denmark so it’s good to try and maintain it here too. I come to pray at this church on Sunday if I have the time and we don’t have a game; I try to be here as much as I can.

“I don’t know if it [religion] has an advantage [on the pitch]. It’s about always believing, believing that God has a plan for me, and for my career.

“United is a massive club, I knew it would be a great opportunity and I always think that God has a plan for everything and the fact United were the only team in for me in January meant, for me, it has to be here.

“I’ve had ups and downs. It’s just about always believing in myself and believing that I can always get better by getting top moments on the pitch, so it’s about learning from my mistakes. It’s about me always giving my best and giving the best side of me.”

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