Hoffenheim’s longtime defender Kevin Akpoguma is set to take on a new challenge. The 31-year-old is moving to Serie A and will play for newly promoted Frosinone, near Rome, for the next two years.
On Thursday afternoon, Kevin Akpoguma completed the mandatory medical exam, sealing the 31-year-old’s new adventure. The defender, who had most recently been a free agent, is moving to Italy on a free transfer to join Frosinone Calcio, where he has signed a contract initially for the next two years, through 2028. This marks the start of a new chapter in the career of the longtime Hoffenheim defender, who did not receive a contract extension in the Kraichgau region this summer, as he approaches the final stretch of his career.
Akpoguma had had his sights set on Serie A for quite some time and had carefully and extensively prepared his Italian language skills. Now, the longtime Bundesliga pro is indeed heading to Italy. There, he is expected to help stabilize the club, which has just returned to the top flight. Frosinone was promoted to Serie A for the fourth time this summer; after being relegated in 2024, the club—located about 100 kilometers southeast of the capital Rome—immediately secured promotion back to the top flight.
Akpoguma, who was born in Neustadt an der Weinstraße, spent the majority of his career under contract with Hoffenheim—a total of 13 years. This made “Akpo” the longest-serving TSG professional at the time. The German-Nigerian had moved to the Kraichgau region from the Karlsruher SC youth academy back in 2013 and had experienced numerous ups and downs at TSG. He also spent two and a half years on loan to second-division club Fortuna Düsseldorf (2015–2017) and later played for Hannover during the first half of 2019.
Career Over After Cervical Vertebra Fracture
In Düsseldorf, the tenacious defender suffered a cervical vertebra fracture in April 2017 during a match against St. Pauli. The serious injury even briefly called his career into question. But Akpoguma made a comeback. Even after his second loan stint in Hannover, the athlete repeatedly fought his way back into the starting lineup at TSG, sometimes coming off the bench.
As recently as the year before last, the towering defender (1.92 m), with 32 league appearances, seven European Cup appearances, and three cup appearances, played a key role in helping Hoffenheim turn things around during that difficult transitional season—the first under coach Christian Ilzer—and avoid relegation. It wasn’t until last season that Akpoguma’s playing time and on-field impact began to wane, though he remained an important presence in training and in the locker room right up until the end. His farewell, alongside Grischa Prömel and Ihlas Bebou, clearly moved him deeply.
64 junior international appearances for Germany, 8 appearances for Nigeria
Up through the U-21 level, he had played a total of 64 international matches as a junior national team player for the DFB, and later made eight appearances for Nigeria’s senior national team, the country of his father’s origin.