 Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1985-01-04)4 January 1985 (age 41)[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Toulouse, France | ||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Striker | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2000–2003 | Toulouse | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2003–2007 | Toulouse | 37 | (4) |
| 2007 | →Brest (loan) | 15 | (2) |
| 2007–2008 | FC Brussels | 3 | (0) |
| 2008–2010 | Grimsby Town | 56 | (8) |
| 2010–2012 | Rochdale | 73 | (11) |
| 2012–2014 | Tranmere Rovers | 53 | (10) |
| 2014 | →Bury (loan) | 10 | (0) |
| 2014–2016 | Shrewsbury Town | 83 | (15) |
| 2016–2018 | Barnet | 49 | (4) |
| 2017 | →Yeovil Town (loan) | 13 | (2) |
| 2019 | Masfout | 11 | (3) |
| 2019–2020 | Oldham Athletic | 3 | (0) |
| 2020–2022 | Radcliffe | 47 | (8) |
| 2022–2024 | Flint Town United | 55 | (15) |
| 2024–2025 | Glossop North End | 1 | (1) |
| 2024–2025 | →Wythenshawe Town (dual-registration) | 31 | (6) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 18:45, 12 August 2024 (UTC) | |||
Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro (born 4 January 1985) is a French professionalfootballer who plays as aforward.
Akpa Akpro came through the youth ranks atToulouse FC where he picked upLigue 1 experience, before moving to Belgian sideFC Brussels. He subsequently moved to England, where he forged a career in theFootball League, initially playing forGrimsby Town between 2008 and 2010 before moving on toRochdale,Bury,Tranmere Rovers,Shrewsbury Town,Barnet,Yeovil Town andOldham Athletic. In 2019, he had a brief hiatus from English football when he joinedUAE sideMasfout. In 2020 he joined English non-league clubRadcliffe before signing for Welsh club Flint Town United in 2022.
He was previously called up to play international football forFrance at U18 level but injury forced him to withdraw from the squad.
Akpa Akpro was born inToulouse, Haute-Garonne.[4]
Akpa Akpro started his career at his hometown clubLigue 1 clubToulouse as a youngster in 2003. While at with the club, he spent time on loan withStade Brestois 29 in the French Second Division where he scored twice in 15 appearances. He featured in around 40 games for Toulouse from between 2003 and 2007, managing to score a total of three goals. While with Toulouse, Akpa Akpro was briefly called up to theFrance U18 International team, but was forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury. He was never selected again.
Akpa Akpro was released by Toulouse at the end of the 2006–07 season. He then left France and headed north where he signed for Belgian sideFC Brussels in the summer of 2007. He remained with the club for the 2007–08 season, playing only a cameo role in the club's season by making only three appearances for the club. Akpro was released at the end of the season. After his departure from Brussels, Akpa Akpro had travelled to England where he joinedMilton Keynes Dons in a pre-season trial, before also spending a week training withColchester United. However, neither trial led to a contract offer and Akpa Akpro began the 2008–09 season as afree agent.
On 2 December 2008, Akpa Akpro joined English clubGrimsby Town on trial with a view of earning a permanent contract. A day later he received international clearance to play for Grimsby's reserve team in their league fixture away againstBradford City. He played the entire 90 minutes in a 2–1 win for Grimsby. Two days later, on 4 December 2008 he was offered and subsequently signed an 18-month contract keeping him atBlundell Park until the end of the 2009–10 season. The signing of Akpro at Grimsby would be the third French-speaking player to join the club underMike Newell, withCongolese midfielderJean-Paul Kamudimba Kalala and fellow FrenchmanMickael Buscher also arriving at Cleethorpes. He originally was set to make his debut againstPort Vale on 6 December, but his papers from theBelgian Football Association were not received on time for him to feature. He instead made his debut againstShrewsbury Town on 13 December, and helped Grimsby to record their first home league victory of the season with a 1–0 victory. He went on to make it into theLeague Two Team of the Week after setting upNathan Jarman's winner againstWycombe Wanderers on 17 January 2009. In the remaining months of the season, The Mariners were involved in a relegation battle, in which Akpa Akpro found himself playing a key part, mainly being fielded in attack alongsideAdam Proudlock. In March 2009, Akpro and Proudlock destroyed local rivalsLincoln City in a 5–1 victory, with Akpa Akpro scoring two, and Proudlock hitting a hat-trick. Towards the very end of the campaignBarry Conlon became Akpro's regular strike partner, and the two would turn out to become vital to the club's eventual survival from relegation. During the 2009–10 season, a managerial change saw the man responsible for his arrival at Grimsby, Mike Newell sacked in October 2009. During the season in which many different players were used all over the pitch, Akpro's role in the first team would change from week to week, with some weeks new bossNeil Woods choosing to play him in his usual attacking role, whilst other weeks he operated in a wide left position or on the wing, and in other weeks merely only a substitute and in some circumstances also failing to make the 18 man squad at all. Akpro would play his part in ending an awful club record when he scored in a 3–0 victory overShrewsbury Town on 6 March 2010, which was Grimsby's first league victory in 25 games. Following relegation from the Football League, Akpro rejected Grimsby's new contract offer and left the club on 26 June 2010.[5]
On 7 July he signed a two-year deal withLeague One newcomersRochdale, after he turned down a new contract at Grimsby.[6] He made his Rochdale debut in a friendly match againstFleetwood Town in which he scored from 20 yards out in a 3–0 victory. In his first season with Dale, the club earned a very respectable 9th place in League One, and were unlucky to miss out on capturing a play-off place. During the 2011–12 campaign Akpro and Rochdale were relegated.
On 19 June 2012 he signed a two-year deal withTranmere Rovers, after he turned down a new contract from Rochdale.[7] He scored a brace on his debut againstLeyton Orient on 18 August 2012, this prompted his managerRonnie Moore to comment saying Jean-Louis is capable of playing in thePremier League and that he fully expected him to score 20 goals throughout the coming season.[8] After topping the scoring charts of League 1 with seven goals in ten games, it was announced Akpa Akpro would be out for three months with a fractured metatarsal, coming off in the 18th minute in a 1–0 victory away at Notts County.
Unfortunately Akpa Akpro, low on confidence following the injury, was never able to recapture his sensational early season form, scoring only one goal in the six remaining games of the season in which he played.
Following his release from Tranmere, Akpa Akpro signed a one-year contract forShrewsbury Town in League Two on 2 July 2014.[9] He made his Shrewsbury debut away atAFC Wimbledon on 9 August,[10] and scored his first goal for the club ten days later, converting a penalty in a 4–0 rout ofAccrington Stanley atNew Meadow.[11] His next goals for the club came in a career first hat-trick, against former loan clubBury in a 5–0 home win on 21 October.[12] On 29 November, he scored a late winner againstBurton Albion for Shrewsbury's 12th victory in 14 home games, as well as handingJimmy Floyd Hasselbaink his first defeat as Burton manager.[13]
Akpa Akpro scored the decisive goal in a 1–0 away win atCheltenham Town as Shrewsbury secured promotion to League One on 25 April 2015.[14] With the club close to theFinancial Fair Play limit and unable to move on fringe players, chairman Roland Wycherley agreed to fund a one-year contract extension, which was signed in time for the player to be available for selection for the opening league match of the following season againstMillwall.[15][16] He scored his first goals of the season – a brace in a 2–0 win againstBlackpool – to secure a first home victory of the campaign on 26 September.[17] He ended the2015–16 campaign with seven in total, including important late goals in the season run-in againstScunthorpe United,Bradford City andGillingham,[18] as Shrewsbury finished in 20th place, four points above the relegation zone.[19] In May 2016, the club announced Akpa Akpro was to be released at the end of his contract.[20]
Akpa Akpro signed forBarnet on 1 July 2016.[21] He scored his first goal for the club in a 2–0 win overAccrington Stanley on 13 August 2016.[22]
On 31 January 2017, Akpa Akpro joinedYeovil Town on loan until the end of the season.[23] He was released at the end of the 2017–18 season.[1] In total, he played 57 times for the Bees, scoring 5 goals.
Akpa Akpro joinedMasfout in 2019.[24] He scored three goals in eleven games in the Emirati second tier.
Akpa Akpro returned to England withOldham Athletic in November 2019, signing a short term deal.[25] The club announced in January that he would leave the club on the expiry of his deal.[26]
He joinedRadcliffe in March 2020.[27] He scored on his debut againstGainsborough Trinity on 3 March 2020.[28]
In June 2022 he joinedCymru Premier sideFlint Town United.[29] He made his league debut for the club on 13 August.[30]
In August 2024, Akpa Akpro joinedNorth West Counties Football League Premier Division sideGlossop North End on a dual-registration basis withWythenshawe Town.[31]
Akpa Akpro is ofIvorian descent and has two brothers who play football.Jean-Daniel who is anIvory Coast international and Jean-Jacques.[32]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Toulouse | 2004–05[33] | Ligue 1 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 16 | 0 | |
| 2005–06[33] | Ligue 1 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | 18 | 3 | ||
| 2006–07[33] | Ligue 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — | 12 | 2 | ||
| Total | 37 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — | 46 | 5 | |||
| Brest (loan) | 2006–07[33] | Ligue 2 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 15 | 2 | ||
| FC Brussels | 2007–08[34] | Belgian First Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 3 | 0 | ||
| Grimsby Town | 2008–09[35] | League Two | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 3 |
| 2009–10[36] | League Two | 36 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 40 | 5 | |
| Total | 56 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 60 | 8 | ||
| Rochdale | 2010–11[37] | League One | 32 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 36 | 4 |
| 2011–12[38] | League One | 41 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2[a] | 0 | 47 | 8 | |
| Total | 73 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 83 | 12 | ||
| Tranmere Rovers | 2012–13[39] | League One | 28 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 8 |
| 2013–14[40] | League One | 25 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 31 | 2 | |
| Total | 53 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 61 | 10 | ||
| Bury (loan) | 2013–14[40] | League Two | 10 | 0 | — | — | — | 10 | 0 | |||
| Shrewsbury Town | 2014–15[41] | League Two | 45 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1[a] | 0 | 51 | 9 |
| 2015–16[42] | League One | 38 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 7 | |
| Total | 83 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 95 | 16 | ||
| Barnet | 2016–17[43] | League Two | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2[a] | 0 | 27 | 1 |
| 2017–18[44] | League Two | 26 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1[a] | 0 | 30 | 4 | |
| Total | 49 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 57 | 5 | ||
| Yeovil Town (loan) | 2016–17[43] | League Two | 13 | 2 | — | — | — | 13 | 2 | |||
| Masfut | 2018–19 | UAE First Division League | 11 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 11 | 3 | ||
| Oldham Athletic | 2019–20[45] | League Two | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Radcliffe | 2019–20[28] | NPL Premier Division | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | 1 | |||
| 2020–21[46] | NPL Premier Division | 8 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | 1[b] | 1 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 2021–22[47] | NPL Premier Division | 36 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | 4[b] | 1 | 42 | 5 | ||
| Total | 47 | 8 | 3 | 2 | — | 5 | 2 | 56 | 12 | |||
| Career total | 453 | 67 | 21 | 3 | 25 | 3 | 15 | 2 | 514 | 75 | ||
Shrewsbury Town
