Jean-Daniel Akpa Akpro was born in Toulouse, France, on October 11, 1992. He is of Ivorian nationality. His two older brothers also played for Toulouse.
He started his career in the Toulouse youth setup and in 2011 joined the first team. Over the next seven years he played 121 league games for the "Pitchouns" (Kiddies) and scored 5 goals. The Violets finished 8th, 10th, 9th, 17th, 17th, 13th and 18th. In 2016 he was injured with athletic pubalgia and had to stop playing for a year.
In 2018 he joined Salernitana in Serie B. The Granata, under managers Stefano Colantuono, former Lazio player Angelo Gregucci and then Leonardo Menichini, finished 16th and stayed up after the playouts.
The following year, under former Italy coach Gian Piero Ventura, the Calabresi finished 10th. Akpa Akpro played 58 league games with 2 goals in his two seasons and played alongside Lazio connections Cristiano Lombardi (2016-17, 2018-19, 2021-22), Djavan Anderson (2019-20), André Anderson (2019-20, 2021-22, 2023-24) and Davide Di Gennaro (2017-18, 2020-21). During this period Claudio Lotito was also involved with Salernitana so several players went back and forth.
In 2020 Akpa Akpro himself joined Lazio and stayed two seasons. The manager was Simone Inzaghi and Lazio finished 6th (EL) and reached the last 16 of the Champions League. Akpro played 32 league games, 2 games in Coppa Italia and 8 in Champions League with a goal against Borussia Dortmund in a 3-1 win.
The following year, with the arrival of new manager Maurizio Sarri, he featured less. He played 10 league games and 3 in the Europa League. Lazio finished 5th (EL).
In 2022 Akpa Akpro left Lazio and joined Empoli on loan. The Azzurri finished 14th under Paolo Zanetti. Akpa Akpro played 24 league games with 1 goal (Bologna).
In 2023-24 he played for Monza on loan. The Brianzoli finished 12th under manager Raffaello Paladino and Akpa Akpro played 19 league games.
At international level he has earned 17 caps for Ivory Coast and won an African Cup in 2015.
Akpa Akpro is a midfielder although he started his career at full-back. He is strong physically and his main asset is as a ball winner but he also has good pace and athleticism. He is a versatile player and can be used in various midfield roles.
At Lazio he played regularly for one season. He worked hard but rarely had any stand out performances. He will be remembered mainly for his goal against Erling Haaland's Borussia Dortmund, when he scored the definite 3-1 giving Lazio a famous victory.
His contract with Lazio runs out in 2025. He currently trains with the team but is out of the squad.
Lazio Career
Season | Total games (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia | Champions League | Europa League |
2020-21 | 42 (1) | 32 | 2 | 8 (1) | - |
2021-22 | 13 | 10 | - | - | 3 |
Totals | 55 (1) | 42 | 2 | 8 (1) | 3 |
Sources
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