Carlos Akapo Martínez (born 12 March 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Malaysia Super League club Johor Darul Ta'zim. Born in Spain, he represents Equatorial Guinea at international level.
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. He made his senior debut with the latter on 22 January 2012, in a 2–1 home loss against Mallorca B.
On 11 July 2013, Akapo signed a two-year contract with Segunda División side Numancia. His first game as a professional took place on 25 August, as he started in a 4–2 home win over Real Jaén.
On 6 August 2014, Akapo joined Valencia and was assigned to the reserves in the third tier. 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.
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. 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.
On 20 June 2019, after suffering immediate relegation, Akapo signed a three-year contract with Cádiz of the second division, as a free agent. He featured sparingly in his first season at the Estadio Ramón de Carranza, in a promotion as runners-up.
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. On 5 August 2022, he joined Major League Soccer side San Jose Earthquakes on a one-and-a-half-year deal.
On 14 February 2025, Akapo moved to the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B with Amazonas. In August 2026, the 33-year-old joined Malaysia Super League's Johor Darul Ta'zim.
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. He did not leave the bench in the 4–0 loss, making his debut on 5 June 2013 in a friendly with Togo.
Akapo's first major tournament was the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 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.
Personal life Akapo's younger brother, Javier, is also a defender and an international for Equatorial Guinea.
Career statistics Club
+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsHuracán2011–12Segunda División B3000—302012–132100020230Total2400020260Numancia2013–14Segunda División29010—300Valencia B2014–15Segunda División B110——1102015–16280——280Total3900000390Huesca2016–17Segunda División28030203302017–1820010—2102018–19La Liga13010—140Total6105020680Cádiz2019–20Segunda División7020—902020–21La Liga13130—1612021–22La Liga2502010280Total4517010531San Jose Earthquakes2023Major League Soccer2920020312Career total2273130702473
International
+ Appearances and goals by national team and yearNational teamYearAppsGoalsEquatorial Guinea2013302015402016412018202019102020202021602022502023502024101202550Total472
Scores and results list Equatorial Guinea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Akapo goal. + List of international goals scored by Carlos AkapoNo.DateVenueCapOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 4 September 2016 Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea 10 4–0 4–0 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification2 9 January 2024 33 1–0 1–1 Friendly
References
External links