Ronan Kpakio
Ronan Sahr Kpakio is a Welsh footballer who plays as a defender for club Cardiff City and the Wales [national football team|Wales national team].
Club career
Kpakio joined Cardiff City aged eight, signing a first professional contract in July 2024.Ahead of the Cardiff City F.C. season|2024–25 season], Kpakio featured for the first-team during pre-season, particularly impressing during a 7–1 thrashing of Penybont where he registered two assists. On 13 August 2024, he was handed a senior professional debut, playing the duration of an EFL Cup First Round victory over Bristol Rovers. In December 2024, he made his Championship debut as a second-half substitute in a 2–0 defeat to Sheffield United due to a number of injuries in the right-back area of the squad.
He scored his first goal for Cardiff in the EFL League One opener against Peterborough United on 2 August 2025.
On 22 September 2025, Kpakio signed a new contract with the Bluebirds, running until the summer of 2029. He became a first-team regular in the 2025–26 season.
International career
After earning caps at youth level for Wales, Kpakio was given a place in the senior team squad by manager Craig Bellamy, aged just 18, ahead of the national side's FIFA [World Cup qualification] games against Liechtenstein and Belgium in June 2025. At the time of his call-up, Kpakio had made just six senior professional appearances.Kpakio made his senior international debut in a 1–0 friendly defeat to Canada in Swansea on 9 September 2025. He started the game and played seventy minutes before being replaced by Sorba Thomas.