Carlos Akapo

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…

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.

Club

As of match played 25 October 2023

International

As of match played 28 December 2025

As of 9 January 2024 Scores and results list Equatorial Guinea's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Akapo goal.

Akapo's younger brother, Javier, is also a defender and an international for Equatorial Guinea.