Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date of birth | 24 November 2005 | ||
Place of birth | Warsaw, Poland [1] | ||
Height | 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in) [2] | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | Chelsea | ||
Number | 36 | ||
Youth career | |||
Kosa Konstancin | |||
2013– | Chelsea | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2022– | Chelsea | 0 | (0) |
International career | |||
England U16 | |||
England U17 | |||
England U18 | |||
England U19 | |||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 8 January 2024 |
Ashanti Akpan (born 24 November 2005) is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Chelsea. Born in Poland, she represents England internationally.
Akpan joined the Chelsea Academy in August 2013, aged seven. With the Academy squad, she won the FA Youth Cup in 2021–22 and the FA WSL Academy Cup in 2022–23. [3]
She was involved with the Chelsea senior squad for the first time when she was named on the bench in a 2–0 UEFA Women's Champions League win over Real Madrid Femenino on 23 November 2022, though she did not feature. [4] Her debut came in a 3–1 Women's FA Cup win against Reading on 19 March 2023, when she came on as a second-half substitute for Sophie Ingle. [5] In December of the same year, Akpan signed her first professional contract with the club until the summer of 2025, with the option to extend by a further year. [3]
Internationally, Akpan is eligible to play for Poland through her place of birth, for Nigeria through her Nigerian father, and for England. [1] [6] She was capped for the latter at all youth levels from under-15 to under-19. [2]
Akpan was born in Warsaw to a Polish mother and Nigerian father, and later moved to England with her family. [1] She is the sister of fellow professional footballer Ashley Akpan. [1]
Club | Season | League | National cup | League cup | Continental | Total | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
Chelsea | 2022–23 | Women's Super League | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Career total | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Karen Julia Carney is an English sports journalist and former professional footballer who played as a winger and midfielder. Carney has been a regular broadcaster for live football on Sky Sports, ITV and Amazon Prime, including Women's Super League and men's Premier League matches since 2019. She is also a sports columnist for BBC Sport, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Television, and The Guardian.
Jordan Nobbs is an English professional footballer who plays for Women's Super League club Aston Villa. She previously played for Sunderland and Arsenal.
Brooke Amberlee Chaplen is an English former footballer and current General Manager of Reading. As a midfielder, Chaplen played for Portsmouth, Chelsea, Everton, Sunderland and Reading at club level, and represented England at U-19, U-20 and U-23 level.
Sophie Louise Ingle is a Welsh footballer who plays for the FA WSL club Chelsea and is the captain of the Wales national team. She has previously represented Bristol Academy, Cardiff City, and Liverpool. Ingle plays as either a defender or defensive midfielder.
Asisat Lamina OshoalaMON is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a striker for NWSL club Bay FC and the Nigeria women's national team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest African female footballers of all time and one of the best in the world, she is one of the most celebrated African female footballers of all time, having won African Women's Footballer of the Year a record six times.
Katie Leigh Zelem is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Women's Super League club Manchester United, which she also captains, and the England women's national team. Zelem previously played for Liverpool where she twice won the WSL in 2013 and 2014, as well as Italian side Juventus, winning Serie A in the 2017-2018 season with the club. Zelem then joined United to win the Women's Championship in their inaugural 2018-2019 season.
Laura Coombs is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Women's Super League club Manchester City and the England national team.
Erin Jacqueline Cuthbert is a Scottish professional footballer who plays for Chelsea in the FA WSL and is a member of the Scotland national team. She studied at University of the West of Scotland, combining graduation from the Open University with being a professional football player.
Keira Fae Walsh is an English professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liga F club Barcelona and the England women's national team. She is considered both a playmaker and a defensive midfielder. She has previously played for Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City, and Great Britain at the Olympics. With Manchester City, she topped the Women's Super League in 2016; won the FA Cup three times; and won the League Cup four times, taking one domestic treble. At Barcelona, she won the league, Supercopa, and Champions League in her first season. She was part of the England team that won the Euro 2022, and was named player of the match in the final.
Bethany England is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women’s Super League club Tottenham Hotspur, whom she captains, and the England national team. She previously played for Doncaster Rovers Belles, Liverpool and Chelsea, and represented England on the U19 and U23 national teams.
Jess Carter is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Women's Super League club Chelsea and the England national team. She began her senior career at Birmingham City and has represented England from under-19 to under-23 youth level.
Aoife Mannion is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Manchester United in the Women's Super League and the Republic of Ireland women's national team. She was previously capped for England, the country of her birth, at youth level and received her first senior call-up in August 2019 but never appeared before debuting for Ireland in February 2023. Mannion began her senior club career at Aston Villa before appearing for Birmingham City and Manchester City. She has been named to the PFA WSL Team of the Year twice.
Niamh Louise Charles is an English professional footballer who plays as a left-back for Women's Super League club Chelsea and the England national team. Beginning her youth and senior career with Liverpool as a forward, she signed for Chelsea in 2020, where she is a three-time WSL and FA Cup winner, one-time League Cup winner, and Champions League runner-up. Charles has represented England at U17 to U20 youth levels and made her senior debut for England in 2021. With England, she is a twice Arnold Clark Cup winner and World Cup runner-up.
Lauren Elizabeth James is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Women's Super League (WSL) club Chelsea and the England women's national team. James started her senior career with Arsenal in 2017 before joining Manchester United in 2018 and winning the Championship. Since joining Chelsea in 2021, she has twice won the WSL and FA Cup with the club, and was awarded the PFA Women's Young Player of the Year for the 2022–2023 season.
Millie Turner is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Women's Super League club Manchester United and the England national team. A product of the United academy, she previously played for Everton and Bristol City, and represented England at under-19 and under-23 youth level before making her senior debut in 2024.
Ellie Leigh Mason is a professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Birmingham City of the FA Women's Championship. Born in England, she represents Northern Ireland at international level.
Ashleigh Megan Plumptre is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Saudi Premier League club Al-Ittihad and the Nigeria women's national team. Formerly an England youth international, she made her senior Nigeria debut in February 2022.
Carney Chibueze Chukwuemeka is an English professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder or right winger for Premier League club Chelsea. A product of the Northampton Town and Aston Villa academies, he made his debut for the latter club's first team in 2021, before signing for Chelsea in 2022. Born in Austria to Nigerian parents, he represents England at youth international level.
Charlotte Wardlaw is an English footballer, who plays for Glasgow City on loan from Chelsea. She has captained the England women's under-15, under-17 and under-19 teams, and represented the under-23 team.
Ashley Antoni Akpan is a Polish professional footballer who plays as a right-back for Aldershot Town.