Carlos Akapo
Equatoguinean footballer (born 1993)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carlos Akapo Martínez (born 12 March 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back. Born in Spain, he represents Equatorial Guinea at international level.
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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 | Right-back | ||
| 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) |
| 2022–2024 | San Jose Earthquakes | 50 | (2) |
| 2025 | Amazonas | 20 | (1) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013– | Equatorial Guinea | 47 | (2) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15:35, 19 November 2025 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals as of 17:45, 28 December 2025 (UTC) | |||
Club career
Akapo was born in Elche, Province of Alicante, to an Equatoguinean father and a Spanish mother. He played youth football for four clubs, including Hércules and Elche, and finished his development also in the Valencian Community at 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 in 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, coming on as a substitute for 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]
On 14 February 2025, Akapo moved to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B with Amazonas.[16]
International career
Akapo 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.[17] He did not leave the bench in the 4–0 loss, making his debut on 5 June 2013 in a friendly with Togo.[18]
Akapo's first major tournament was the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[19] 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.[20]
Personal life
Career statistics
Club
| 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 | ||
- Appearances in promotion playoffs
International
- As of match played 28 December 2025[22]
| 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 | 10 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 5 | 0 | |
| Total | 47 | 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] |
