# Carlos Akapo

Carlos Akapo Martínez (born 12 March 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Campeonato Brasileiro Série B club Amazonas. 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 with four clubs, including Hércules and Elche, and finished his development also in the Valencian Community with 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 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, replacing 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.

## 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

    As of match played 25 October 2023
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition :
| Club | Season | League | League | League | National cup | National cup | Other | Other | Total | Total |
| Club | Season | Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| Huracán | 2011–12 | Segunda División B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 |
| Huracán | 2012–13 | Segunda División B | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 0 |
| Huracán | Total | 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 |
| Valencia B | 2015–16 | Segunda División B | 28 | 0 | — | — | — | — | 28 | 0 |
| Valencia B | Total | Total | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| Huesca | 2016–17 | Segunda División | 28 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 0 |
| Huesca | 2017–18 | Segunda División | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 21 | 0 |
| Huesca | 2018–19 | La Liga | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | 14 | 0 |
| Huesca | Total | Total | 61 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 68 | 0 |
| Cádiz | 2019–20 | Segunda División | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — | — | 9 | 0 |
| Cádiz | 2020–21 | La Liga | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 16 | 1 |
| Cádiz | 2021–22 | La Liga | 25 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 0 |
| Cádiz | Total | 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 | Career total | Career total | 227 | 3 | 13 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 247 | 3 |
* 1 2 Appearances in promotion playoffs

### International

    As of match played 10 June 2024
Appearances and goals by national team and year :
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2013 | 3 | 0 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2015 | 4 | 0 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2016 | 4 | 1 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2018 | 2 | 0 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2019 | 1 | 0 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2020 | 2 | 0 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2021 | 6 | 0 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2022 | 5 | 0 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2023 | 5 | 0 |
| Equatorial Guinea | 2024 | 7 | 1 |
| Total | 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.
List of international goals scored by Carlos Akapo :
| 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 |
| 2 | 9 January 2024 | Estadio de Malabo, Malabo, Equatorial Guinea | 33 | Djibouti | 1–0 | 1–1 | Friendly |