Marvin Ekpiteta

Marvin Akpereogene Paul Edem Ekpiteta (born 26 August 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Milton Keynes Dons.

He has previously played for Chelmsford City, Witham Town, Concord Rangers, East Thurrock United, Leyton Orient and Blackpool, winning promotion from EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system, in 2021.

Club career Chelmsford City In 2014, Ekpiteta began his senior career at Chelmsford City, following a spell in the youth set-up at Oxford United. In January 2015, Ekpiteta signed dual-registration forms with Witham Town. After making 58 league appearances for Chelmsford, scoring three times, Ekpiteta signed for Essex rivals Concord Rangers in 2016. In January 2017, after making 22 National League South appearances for the club, Ekpiteta signed for East Thurrock United, in a move labelled as "naïve" by Concord manager Adam Flanagan.

Leyton Orient On 31 January 2018, Ekpiteta signed for National League club Leyton Orient on a -year contract, being loaned back to East Thurrock as part of the deal. After three games back on loan at East Thurrock, Ekpiteta was recalled from the club, making his Leyton Orient debut in a 1–0 loss away to Dover Athletic on 3 March 2018. On 9 March 2019, Ekpiteta scored the winner for Leyton Orient in a 1–0 win against Wrexham, which saw Orient replace Wrexham at the top of the National League. At the end of the season, Leyton Orient gained promotion, with Ekpiteta making his Football League debut on 3 August 2019 in a 1–0 win against Cheltenham Town.

Blackpool Ekpiteta signed a two-year contract with Blackpool on 8 July 2020. He scored his first goal for Blackpool in a 5–0 win over Wigan Athletic on 27 January 2021. He signed another two-year contract with the club on 8 March 2022. Ekpiteta was named Blackpool's player of the season for the 2021–22 season by both the club supporters and his teammates.

On 7 May 2024, Blackpool announced the player would be leaving the club in the summer when his contract expired.

Hibernian On 28 June 2024, Ekpiteta agreed to join Scottish Premiership club Hibernian on a three-year deal.

Milton Keynes Dons On 8 August 2025, Ekpiteta returned to England, joining League Two club Milton Keynes Dons for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut a day later, coming on as a 78th-minute substitute in a 2–0 away win over Barrow. Ekpiteta scored his first goal for the club on 31 January 2026 in a 2–2 draw away to Grimsby Town.

Following an impressive first season in which he featured 41 times and scored 6 goals, Ekpiteta achieved the third promotion of his career as the club finished in second place.

International career In 2013, Ekpiteta was called up for Nigeria U20, making two appearances. On 10 October 2018, Ekpiteta made his debut for England C in a 1–0 victory against Estonia U23.

Personal life Ekpiteta's brother, Marvel, also played professional football.

In May 2022, Ekpiteta's Blackpool teammate Jake Daniels came out as gay. Following his announcement, some of Ekpiteta social media posts dating back to 2012 and 2013 were highlighted as being homophobic. Ekpiteta responded by deleting the posts and issuing an apology, saying that his actions from a decade prior "do not in any way reflect the values [he] hold now". In response, Daniels accepted the apology, and tweeted that he is "proud" of being Ekpiteta's teammate.

Career statistics

Honours Leyton Orient National League: 2018–19 FA Trophy runner-up: 2018–19

Blackpool EFL League One play-offs: 2021

Milton Keynes Dons EFL League Two runner-up: 2025–26

Individual Blackpool Player of the Season: 2021–22