Daniel Akpeyi facts for kids
Akpeyi at the 2016 Olympics
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Date of birth | 3 August 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Nnewi, Nigeria | ||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Goalkeeper | ||||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Marumo Gallants | ||||||||||||||||||
| Youth career | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gabros International | |||||||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | |||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2007 | Gabros International | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2010 | Nasarawa United | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2014 | Heartland | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Warri Wolves | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2019 | Chippa United | 92 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Kaizer Chiefs | 57 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2022–2024 | Moroka Swallows | 35 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2024- | Marumo Gallants | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| International career‡ | |||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Nigeria Olympic (O.P.) | 1 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2021 | Nigeria | 18 | (0) | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 15 June 2024 ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 14:33, 2 April 2021 (UTC) |
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Daniel Akpeyi, born on August 3, 1986, is a professional footballer from Nigeria. He plays as a goalkeeper, which means he protects the goal from the opposing team. Currently, he plays for a South African club called Marumo Gallants.
Contents
Daniel Akpeyi's Club Journey
Daniel Akpeyi started his football career with Gabros International F.C. in 2005. He quickly became a key player for the team. In January 2007, he moved to Nasarawa United F.C., where he also played as a regular starter.
Playing for Heartland and Warri Wolves
In 2010, Akpeyi joined Heartland F.C. and was their main goalkeeper for their CAF Champions League games. In 2014, he moved to another league rival, Warri Wolves. He signed a deal with them after some initial discussions.
Time with Chippa United and Kaizer Chiefs
In 2015, Daniel Akpeyi signed a two-year contract with Chippa United. He played many games for them.
In 2019, he joined Kaizer Chiefs, a famous South African club. The coach, Ernst Middendorp, was very impressed by Akpeyi's skills. During the 2019/20 season, Akpeyi helped Kaizer Chiefs by keeping nine "clean sheets" in the league. A clean sheet means the goalkeeper didn't let the other team score any goals. This was the most clean sheets by a Chiefs goalkeeper since 2018. Akpeyi was also named the Absa Premiership Player of the Month for September and October in 2019.
After leaving Kaizer Chiefs in 2022, he was without a club for a while. He was almost signed by Sekhukhune United, but the deal did not happen. He later joined Moroka Swallows in 2022 and then Marumo Gallants in 2024.
Daniel Akpeyi's Life Off the Field
Daniel Akpeyi married his long-time girlfriend, Emmanuella Ebert-Kalu, in December 2016. In July 2018, they welcomed their first child, a son named Prince Jason Akpeyi. He was born in Port Elizabeth.
Akpeyi also founded the Daniel Akpeyi Children Empowerment Foundation (Dacef) in 2020. This non-profit organization aims to help children in Africa get a good education, especially those who are less fortunate. During the worldwide lockdown in 2020, Dacef helped people in Gauteng, Johannesburg.
Representing Nigeria: International Career
Daniel Akpeyi was part of Nigeria's national youth teams. He was on the Nigeria national under-20 football team for the 2005 FIFA World Youth Championship in the Netherlands. He was also in the squad for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, but he did not play in either tournament.
He was called up to the senior national team, known as the Super Eagles, in 2014. He was a backup goalkeeper for the 2014 African Nations Championship.
First Senior Team Appearance
On May 6, 2014, Akpeyi was named in the provisional squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. He made his first full appearance for the senior team in 2015. This was in a friendly match against South Africa. He played because the main goalkeeper, Vincent Enyeama, was injured. Akpeyi had a fantastic game, saving a penalty kick. He was praised for his strong performance and was named Man of the Match.
Olympic and Africa Cup of Nations Appearances
In 2016, he was chosen for Nigeria's provisional squad for the Summer Olympics. In May 2018, he was also named in Nigeria's preliminary squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Akpeyi was part of the final 23-man squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. He kept clean sheets in the first two matches of the tournament. He played in the Round of 16 match against Cameroon, which Nigeria won 3-2. He was also in goal for the quarter-final victory against South Africa and the semi-final loss to Algeria. Nigeria went on to win the bronze medal in that tournament.
In December 2021, he was selected for Nigeria's squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.
Career Statistics
International Games
| Nigeria | ||
| Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 1 | 0 |
| 2016 | 3 | 0 |
| 2017 | 3 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 10 | 0 |
| Total | 18 | 0 |
Achievements and Awards
Daniel Akpeyi has won several awards and medals throughout his career.
Club Honors
- Nigerian FA Cup: Winner in 2011 and 2012
International Honors
- Summer Olympic Games: Bronze Medal in Brazil, 2016
- African Nations Cup: Bronze Medal in Egypt, 2019
- FIFA U-20 World Cup: Silver Medal in Holland, 2005
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Akpeyi para niños
