Godswill Ekpolo

Godswill Ekpolo

Godswill Ekpolo in 2012
Personal information
Full name	Elohor Godswill Ekpolo [1]
Date of birth	(1995-05-14) 14 May 1995 (age 29)
Place of birth	Benin City, Nigeria
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Position(s)	Defender
Team information
Current team	AEK Larnaca
Number	22
Youth career
2005–2014	Barcelona
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2014–2016	Barcelona B	28	(0)
2016–2018	Fleetwood Town	9	(0)
2018	Mérida	8	(0)
2018–2021	Häcken	100	(4)
2022–2023	Norrköping	28	(0)
2023–2024	Apollon Limassol	45	(3)
2024–	AEK Larnaca	1	(1)
International career
	Nigeria U17
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 26 August 2024

Elohor Godswill Epokoli (born 14 May 1995) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays for Cypriot First Division club AEK Larnaca. Mainly a right back, he can also play as a central defender.

Playing career

Ekpolo moved with his family to Spain from Nigeria in 2002, and settled in Tarragona. He came through the youth team at FC Barcelona, and played for the reserve team and captained the under-21 team, before he was released in June 2016.^[2]

After a trial at Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 2016,^[3] he signed with English League One side Fleetwood Town on a contract of undisclosed length in November.^[4] He scored his first goal for Fleetwood in an EFL Trophy tie against Leicester City Under-23s on 29 August 2017.^[5]

Having been replaced at right-back by Everton loanee Gethin Jones, Ekpolo returned to Spain on 26 January 2018 and signed for Mérida AD of Segunda División B.^[6]

On 29 June 2018, Ekpolo signed a six-month deal with Swedish Allsvenskan side BK Häcken,^[7] and on 12 October it was extended to the end of 2021.^[8]

Statistics

Club

As of 16 July 2017

Club	Season	League			National Cup		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
FC Barcelona B	2015–16	Segunda División B	27	0	—		—		—		27	0
Fleetwood Town	2016–17	League One	6	0	1	0	—		—		7	0
	2017-18		3	0	0	0	—		5[a]	1	8	1
	Total		9	0	1	0	—		5	1	15	1
Mérida	2017-18	Segunda División B	8	0	—		—		—		8	0
Häcken	2018	Allsvenskan	16	0	1	0	1[b]	0	—		18	0
	2019		26	1	7	0	2[b]	0	—		35	1
	2020		29	0	4	1	—		—		33	1
	2021		29	3	3	1	2[c]	0	—		34	4
	Total		100	4	15	2	5	0	—		120	6
Norrköping	2022	Allsvenskan	28	0	4	0	—		—		32	0
Apollon Limassol	2022-23	Cypriot First Division	13	1	—		0	0	—		13	1
	2023-24		31	2	4	0	—		—		35	2
	Total		44	3	4	0	0	0	—		48	3
Career total			216	7	24	2	5	0	5	1	250	10

1. One appearance in EFL Cup, Four appearances in EFL Trophy
2. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa League
3. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa Conference League

Honours

Barcelona

• UEFA Youth League: 2013–14^[9]

References

1. "Retained List 2016-17" (PDF). English Football League. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
2. Swarbrick, Rosie (7 November 2016). "Fleetwood swoop for former Barcelona player". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
3. "Ex-Barcelona defender Godswill Ekpolo on trial at Wolves". Express and Star. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
4. "Godswill Ekpolo: Former Barcelona defender joins Fleetwood Town". BBC Sport. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
5. "Foxes Go Down To Fleetwood In Checkatrade Trophy". lcfc.com. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
6. Swarbrick, Rosie (26 January 2018). "Fleetwood defender Godswill Ekpolo seals Mérida AD switch". Lancashire Evening Post. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
7. "Presenterar ny back – under VM-uppehållet". Expressen (in Swedish). 29 June 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
8. Malmkvist, Alexander (12 October 2018). "Ekpolo har imponerat - nu förlänger Häcken: "Det var lite gambling - en 'videojugge'"" (in Swedish). Fotboll Skanalen. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
9. "First Youth League title goes Barcelona's way". UEFA.com. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 2 February 2015.