Get to Know Kevin Akpoguma: 5 Things You Didn't Know About the Hoffenheim Defender
If Kevin Akpoguma's name sounds familiar, it's probably because you've seen the 22-year-old defender playing in Germany's Bundesliga with Hoffenheim this season. He hasn't played too many minutes yet, but he's been on the field enough to show that he can play at the highest level of football. And while you might not have heard his name before now, you could soon be hearing it as often as other star defenders like Mats Hummels and David Alaba—if he has his way, that is!
1) He was born in Germany
Kevin Akpoguma was born in Germany on July 7th, 1992. He started his youth career with SV Günnigfeld and then moved on to VfB Stuttgart's youth academy. Despite being born in Germany, he represented Nigeria at both the under-17 and under-20 levels. He has also been a part of their senior team since 2015. In 2017, he made his debut for the Nigerian national team against Zambia.
Born in Germany, Akpoguma rose through VfB Stuttgart's youth system before moving on to Hoffenheim. He made his Bundesliga debut at home against Mainz on February 18th, 2017. Since then, he has played 19 games and scored two goals. Currently, he is Hoffenheim's longest-serving player after playing 75 games for them since his arrival in 2016. He made his Champions League debut against Arsenal on September 26th, 2017.
He has dual German-Nigerian nationality: While he was born in Germany and represented both Nigeria and Germany at the youth level, he only represented Nigeria at the senior level because they were willing to give him citizenship while Germany wasn't.
His favorite position is as a defender, and he's a really big fan of Liverpool: While not representing Germany at the youth level, he stated that his favorite player was former Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn. He also says that if he wasn't playing soccer professionally, he would be a professional basketball player for one of his two favorite teams—the Los Angeles Lakers or the New York Knicks.
However, in 2017, an interview with Kicker revealed his love for Liverpool F.C. and England's top flight league. Additionally, while being asked what position he would play if he could pick freely between all on-field positions, Akpoguma revealed that his favorite position was as a defender.
He's a big fan of fashion and style: While most soccer players try to be as anonymous as possible in public, Akpoguma is quite open about his love for fashion. He has several tattoos, including one on his right arm reading Ma Femme, which was influenced by Gucci Mane's album name Mr. Davis. As a teenager, he also worked part-time at an Ermenegildo Zegna shop in Germany. Additionally, in 2018 he was featured on Dior's website alongside other stars such as French tennis player Gaël Monfils, musician Lady Gaga and movie star Saoirse Ronan. He is featured wearing all Dior clothes without shoes.
2) He plays as a defender
Kevin-Prince played for Hoffenheim and has been a part of the squad since 2012. He's an important player in their defense and is relied on as a veteran leader on the field. With his experience, he's able to provide a calm presence in front of the goal, making it difficult for strikers to get shots off. He's currently ranked as one of the top defenders in the Bundesliga.
Also, he has an older brother named Benjamin, who was a professional basketball player in Europe. The two started playing football together when they were children and continued growing alongside each other. They played for French club AS Monaco before coming to Germany and continuing their careers there together.
He's been injured a lot: From 2012-2016, Kevin spent most of his time on IR due to injuries that could have ended his career as a footballer at one point if not for all of his determination and perseverance. His injury from last season caused him to miss ten games which were frustrating but allowed him to take care of his body more effectively. Fortunately, this season he has only missed four games so far and remains a vital player for Hoffenheim.
He has earned seven caps with Cameroon: Kevin-Prince made his international debut with Cameroon in 2013 against Luxembourg, which unfortunately resulted in a 1-0 loss for the African side. His first victory with them came against Tanzania later that year, where they managed to secure a 2-0 win over their opponent after goals from Rogerio Milián Thomseso and Samuel Eto'o Biyogo Touré.
3) His favorite player growing up was Samuel Eto'o
The Cameroonian striker was a big hero for him as he won major trophies with Barcelona and Inter Milan. He was my idol, Akpoguma said. I had posters of him on my wall.
In addition, he is a big Arsenal fan. At first, he watched videos of Thierry Henry and Dennis Bergkamp. Then, from 2008 on, he began following Gunners games on television. Today, his heroes are Mesut Ozil and Hector Bellerin. I especially like Ozil as a player because he's not just fast with the ball in his feet, but also when it comes to his thinking and decision-making, Akpoguma said. He never seems rushed or under pressure despite making difficult decisions quickly. I hope one day I will be able to play at his level – that's my goal for now!
Nowadays, he doesn't have a favorite club because he feels his footballing roots lie with both Arsenal and Barcelona. What I like about Barca is that they play very attractive football and are successful as well, so their style of play is one I can identify with. However, I would also say that Arsenal plays an attractive style as well – it just looks different. It has many similarities to my former club Mainz 05, and Werder Bremen. That's why I feel like part of me belongs in England. But I don't want to leave Germany again yet – not now, at least!
4) He loves volleyball and football
He has two siblings, a brother and a sister. His sister is a fashion designer, his brother is a football coach, and he has said that he would like to be an ambassador for peace.
Kevin speaks three languages, English, French, and German. He has a lot of tattoos, several on his right arm, which feature his mother's name. His favorite song is Gangsta Lovin' by Snoop Dogg. His favorite movie is Black Panther.
According to Kevin, his father started him playing soccer.
In October 2018, he won The Bundesliga title as captain of his team, a feat he described as the biggest moment of his career. According to him, It is one thing I had been looking forward to since I arrived at Hoffenheim. He and his family stayed in Germany for just two years. The first one was filled with football training and learning how to manage money by himself due to not having any guidance from anyone else since no one else lived in Germany with him at that time.
5) He has two siblings, a brother and a sister.
Kevin's brother, Franck, is a footballer as well. He currently plays for FC Metz in France. In addition to Franck, Kevin's sister also plays football and has played for the French club Lyon. She was even part of their team that won the UEFA Women's Champions League in 2010-2011.
Aside from football, Kevin has enjoyed success in another sport as well. He is an avid amateur boxer and competed in regional tournaments when he was still in France. Unfortunately, he was disqualified during a 2012 national tournament after hitting his opponent below the belt. His focus right now is on establishing himself as a star defender, but maybe boxing will be his second act after football.
He earned ten caps with France's U21 team.: Since making his senior debut for AC Ajaccio back in 2009, Kevin has enjoyed considerable success with French clubs despite not being able to lock down a starting spot for all of them. He captained SC Bastia from 2014-2016 before moving on to Toulouse and then Caen.
Aside from France, he has featured for his country in an international tournament as well.: His first major international competition was with France's U21 team. They finished in 3rd place during that year's European Championships, and Kevin was able to log a total of 10 caps for Les Bleuets. He also made it all the way up to #2 on their depth chart and only played back-up once due to fellow defender Adil Rami getting suspended after being sent off during a match against Portugal.
Conclusion
Here are five things you might not have known about Kevin Akpoguma. He was born in France and is a French citizen. He made his professional debut with his hometown team, Marseille. He spent three years at Marseille before he joined Sochaux. His next destination was Bayer Leverkusen, where he would go on to spend four seasons before joining Hoffenheim in 2015. Finally, he has been capped by France at various levels of youth international competition and earned his first cap for Les Blues back in 2009.
If you want to learn more about him, then check out his Wikipedia page or follow him on Twitter and Facebook. In any case, he is an experienced defender who will certainly contribute a great deal of quality play and leadership to Hoffenheim. We're looking forward to seeing what he can accomplish in his time with Germany's youngest Bundesliga side.