Carlos Akapo Martínez (born 12 March 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Major League Soccer club San Jose Earthquakes. Born in Spain, he represents Equatorial Guinea at international level.
_(cropped).jpg) Akapo with Equatorial Guinea in 2022 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Carlos Akapo Martínez[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 12 March 1993[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Elche, Spain | ||
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Right-back | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | San Jose Earthquakes | ||
| Number | 29 | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1998–2008 | Kelme | ||
| 2008–2009 | Hércules | ||
| 2009–2011 | Elche | ||
| 2011–2012 | Huracán | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012–2013 | Huracán | 24 | (0) |
| 2013–2014 | Numancia | 29 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Valencia B | 39 | (0) |
| 2016–2019 | Huesca | 61 | (0) |
| 2019–2022 | Cádiz | 45 | (1) |
| 2022– | San Jose Earthquakes | 49 | (2) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013– | Equatorial Guinea | 39 | (2) |
|
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 11:28, 16 October 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 15:48, 19 June 2024 (UTC) | |||
Club career
editAkapo was born in Elche, Province of Alicante, to an Equatoguinean father and a Spanish mother. He played youth football with four clubs, including Hércules and Elche, and finished his development also in the Valencian Community with Huracán.[2][3] He made his senior debut with the latter on 22 January 2012, in a 2–1 home loss against Mallorca B.[4]
On 11 July 2013, Akapo signed a two-year contract with Segunda División side Numancia.[5] His first game as a professional took place on 25 August, as he started in a 4–2 home win over Real Jaén.[6]
On 6 August 2014, Akapo joined Valencia and was assigned to the reserves in the third tier.[7] After two seasons of relative playing time, he returned to division two after agreeing to a three-year deal at Huesca on 14 June 2016.[8]
Akapo was regularly used the following campaigns, and contributed 20 appearances in 2017–18 as the club achieved a first-ever promotion to La Liga.[9] He made his debut in the competition on 25 September 2018, replacing Luisinho in a 3–0 defeat at Atlético Madrid.[10]
On 20 June 2019, after suffering immediate relegation, Akapo signed a three-year contract with Cádiz of the second division, as a free agent.[11][12] He featured sparingly in his first season at the Estadio Ramón de Carranza, in a promotion as runners-up.[13]
Akapo scored his first goal in the Spanish top tier – also his first as a senior – on 21 May 2021, his team's second in the 2–2 away draw against Levante.[14] On 5 August 2022, he joined Major League Soccer side San Jose Earthquakes on a one-and-a-half-year deal.[15]
International career
editAkapo received his first call from Equatorial Guinea in late August 2012, for a 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Congo DR the following month.[16] He did not leave the bench in the 4–0 loss, making his debut on 5 June 2013 in a friendly with Togo.[17]
Akapo's first major tournament was the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[18] He played all the minutes but one in Cameroon to help his team reach the quarter-finals; in the round of 16 against Mali, he converted his attempt in the penalty shootout.[19]
Personal life
editAkapo's younger brother, Javier, is also a defender and an international for Equatorial Guinea.[20]
Career statistics
editClub
edit| Club | Season | League | National cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Huracán | 2011–12 | Segunda División B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 3 | 0 | |
| 2012–13 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 23 | 0 | ||
| Total | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 26 | 0 | ||
| Numancia | 2013–14 | Segunda División | 29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 30 | 0 | |
| Valencia B | 2014–15 | Segunda División B | 11 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | 28 | 0 | — | — | 28 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 | ||
| Huesca | 2016–17 | Segunda División | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| 2017–18 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 21 | 0 | |||
| 2018–19 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 14 | 0 | ||
| Total | 61 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 68 | 0 | ||
| Cádiz | 2019–20 | Segunda División | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | 9 | 0 | |
| 2020–21 | La Liga | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | 16 | 1 | ||
| 2021–22 | La Liga | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| Total | 45 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 53 | 1 | ||
| San Jose Earthquakes | 2023 | Major League Soccer | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 2 |
| Career total | 227 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 247 | 3 | ||
International
edit- As of match played 10 June 2024[23]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Equatorial Guinea | 2013 | 3 | 0 |
| 2015 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2016 | 4 | 1 | |
| 2018 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2019 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2020 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2021 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2022 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2023 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2024 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 39 | 2 | |
- As of 9 January 2024
- Scores and results list Equatorial Guinea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Akapo goal.
| No. | Date | Venue | Cap | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 September 2016 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | 10 |  South Sudan |
4–0 | 4–0 | 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification[24] |
| 2 | 9 January 2024 | 33 |  Djibouti |
1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly[25] |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Carlos Akapo". Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ Martín, Diego (26 February 2013). "Entrevista a Carlos Akapo (Huracán Valencia)" [Interview to Carlos Akapo (Huracán Valencia)] (in Spanish). Falso 9. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ Palomar, Julián (18 November 2013). "Un ilicitano en Malabo" [A ilicitano in Malabo]. Diario Información (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ "Crónica 2ª Div. B: Huracán Valencia 1–2 Mallorca B" [2 Div. B report: Huracán Valencia 1–2 Mallorca B] (in Spanish). Fútbol Balear. 22 January 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ "Akapo y Gaffoor refuerzan la defensa del Numancia" [Akapo and Gaffoor bolster Numancia's defence]. Marca (in Spanish). 11 July 2013. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- ^ "4–2: El Numancia gana de cabeza al Jaén" [4–2: Numancia beat Jaén using their head]. Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 25 August 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ "El Valencia ficha al lateral Carlos Akapo, que llega del Numancia" [Valencia sign full-back Carlos Akapo, who arrives from Numancia]. Marca (in Spanish). 6 August 2014. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- ^ "Carlos Akapo ficha por la SD Huesca" [Carlos Akapo signs for SD Huesca] (in Spanish). SD Huesca. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
- ^ Sánchez-Flor, Ulises (22 May 2018). "El milagro del ascenso del Huesca a Primera: 8 millones y el 'cerebro' que no quiso Zidane" [The miracle of Huesca's promotion to Primera: 8 million and the 'brain' that Zidane did not want]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ Muñoz, Elena (25 September 2018). "Atlético 3 – Huesca 0: resultado, resumen y goles. LaLiga Santander" [Atlético 3 – Huesca 0: score, highlights and goals. LaLiga Santander]. Diario AS (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ "Akapo es el primer fichaje de la nueva temporada" [Akapo is the first signing of the new season] (in Spanish). Cádiz CF. 20 June 2019. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
- ^ González, Eugenio (20 June 2019). "Carlos Akapo, primer fichaje del Cádiz CF 2019/20" [Carlos Akapo, first signing of 2019/20 Cádiz] (in Spanish). Tercer Equipo. Retrieved 16 May 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Carlos Akapo" (in Spanish). La Voz Digital. 9 September 2020. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ Adewoye, Gbenga (21 May 2021). "Carlos Akapo scores first La Liga goal as Cadiz end season with draw against Levante". Goal. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ^ "NEWS: Earthquakes sign defender Carlos Akapo". San Jose Earthquakes. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
- ^ "Los jugadores Akapo y Fabiani, convocados por Guinea Ecuatorial" [Players Akapo and Fabiani, called by Equatorial Guinea]. Diario Sur (in Spanish). 29 August 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ^ "Amistoso: Nzalang (0) – Togo (1)" [Friendly: Nzalang (0) – Togo (1)] (in Spanish). Fútbol de Guinea Ecuatorial. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 15 March 2016. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- ^ "Afcon 2021: Clubless Nsue named in Equatorial Guinea squad for Cameroon". BBC Sport. 27 December 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ "Mali 0–0 Equatorial Guinea". BBC Sport. 26 January 2022. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
- ^ Bernabeu, Álvaro (30 April 2020). "Carlos y Javier Akapo: Dos hermanos y defensas de categoría" [Carlos and Javier Akapo: Two brothers and top-flight footballers] (in Spanish). Golsmedia. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ Carlos Akapo at Soccerway
- ^ Carlos Akapo at WorldFootball.net
- ^ "Carlos Akapo – Matches". Soccerway. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Contundente victoria del Nzalang Nacional frente a Sudán del Sur" [Powerful win for Nzalang Nacional against South Sudan] (in Spanish). Guinea Ecuatorial Press. 5 September 2016. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
- ^ "Nzalang empata a 1–1 ante Los Ribeños del Mar Rojo antes de la CAN" [Nzalang draw 1–1 against Los Ribeños del Mar Rojo before CAN.] (in Spanish). Equatoguinean Football Federation. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
External links
edit- Carlos Akapo at BDFutbol
- Carlos Akapo at Futbolme (in Spanish)
- Carlos Akapo at National-Football-Teams.com
- Carlos Akapo – FIFA competition record (archived)