Jarves Aperau
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 Aperau in 2024 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jarves Ambrose Aperau | ||
| Date of birth | 21 November 1997 | ||
| Place of birth | Auckland, New Zealand | ||
| Height | 1.68 m (5 ft 6 in) | ||
| Position(s) | |||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Puaikura | ||
| Number | 9 | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2012– | Puaikura | ||
| 2020 | → Tupapa Maraerenga (loan) | ||
| International career‡ | |||
| 2013 | Cook Islands U17 | 4 | (0) |
| 2016 | Cook Islands U19 | 6 | (0) |
| 2022–2023 | Cook Islands | 1 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| Puaikura U15 | |||
| Puaikura U18 | |||
| 2026– | Cook Islands U16 | ||
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 27 February 2026 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 27 February 2026 | |||
Jarves Aperau (born 21 November 1997) is a footballer and coach from the Cook Islands. He plays as a defender for Puaikura in the Cook Islands Round Cup.[1]
Aperau has played for Puaikura since 2012, playing in the Cook Islands Round Cup, the top flight of football in the Cook Islands He represented the club continentally, playing in the 2014–15 OFC Champions League and 2017 OFC Champions League.[2][3]
He also featured in Tupapa Maraerenga's squad during the 2020 OFC Champions League qualifying stage.[4]
He has been a prominent member of the Puaikura team, playing his entire domestic career with the club and only once playing for another club, when he played with Tupapa Maraerenga during the 2020 OFC Champions League qualifying stage, he helped the club lift the 2013 Cook Islands Round Cup, 2016 Cook Islands Round Cup and 2016 Cook Islands Cup. He has since took up coaching with the club, providing as the sole staff member in both their U15 and U18 sides. He serves as the club's captain.[5][6]
He is referred to as 'little man' by teammates and fans, referring to his stature, standing at only 168cm tall.[7]
International career
He began his international career representing the Cook Islands U17, making 4 appearances in the 2013 OFC U-17 Championship, most notably featuring in their 7–1 rout over Tonga, which serves as the nation's largest win margin in international football.
He then represented the Cook Islands U20 at the 2016 OFC U-20 Championship, starting in 6 of their 8 games, as the Cook Islands won the preliminary round but finished bottom in the tournament proper.
He earned his senior call-up for the Cook Islands in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualification, remaining as an unused substitute in the match against the Solomon Islands. He gained his second call-up for the 2023 Pacific Games, where he would make his debut, coming on in an 8–0 defeat to later champions, New Caledonia.[8][9]
Career statistics
International
| Cook Islands | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 1 | 0 |
Statistics accurate as of match played 27 February 2026[10]
