William Troost-Ekong Profile: Club And International Career, Market Value

William Paul Troost-Ekong, born September 1, 1993, is a Nigerian football player. He plays as a center-back for PAOK, a club in the Super League Greece. He also leads the Nigeria national team as their captain.

William Troost-Ekong was born in the Netherlands but has Nigerian roots. Troost-Ekong attended secondary school at Hockerill Anglo-European College in Bishop’s Stortford, England

William Troost-Ekong Club Career:

William Troost-Ekong’s early football journey began in England, where he played at the youth level for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur. These experiences prepared him for a professional career.

Troost-Ekong started his senior career in the Netherlands. His first professional team was FC Groningen, where he played from 2013 to 2015. During his time at Groningen, he made 2 appearances. To gain more experience, he was loaned out to FC Dordrecht for the 2014-2015 season.

At Dordrecht, he had more opportunities to play and made 32 appearances.Even though he didn’t score any goals, his defensive skills were noticeable.In July 2015, Troost-Ekong moved to the Belgian club KAA Gent.

However, he did not stay long at Gent and was immediately loaned out to FK Haugesund, a club in Norway. His time at Haugesund was fruitful as he made 37 appearances and scored 3 goals. This loan period was from 2015 to 2016.

After his loan spell, he returned to Gent but found it hard to secure a permanent spot in the team, making only 8 appearances without scoring any goals.

Seeking more playing time and development, Troost-Ekong moved to Turkish Süper Lig club Bursaspor in July 2017. At Bursaspor, he played 28 games and managed to score 3 goals, which was quite impressive for a defender.

His performances in Turkey caught the attention of clubs in bigger leagues. On 17 August 2018, Troost-Ekong signed with Italian Serie A club Udinese. In his debut season, he made 35 league appearances and was booked four times.

He helped Udinese finish in 12th position in the league. The next season, the team finished 13th, although they had two more points than the previous season. Despite the team’s mid-table finishes, Troost-Ekong had memorable matches, especially in victories against big teams like AC Milan and Juventus.

He was a regular starter and played full matches in these important games. Troost-Ekong’s performances in Italy earned him a move to England again. On 29 September 2020, he signed a five-year contract with EFL Championship side Watford.

His time at Watford started well. He scored his first goal for the club in a 3-2 win over Coventry City on 7 November 2020. Over the next few seasons, he made 64 appearances for Watford and scored 2 goals.

His contributions were valuable as he brought experience and stability to the team’s defense. In January 2023, Troost-Ekong made another move. He signed for Serie A club Salernitana on loan with an option to buy at the end of the season.

At Salernitana, he played 9 games and scored 1 goal. His time there was short but he made a positive impact. After his loan spell at Salernitana, Troost-Ekong joined Greek club PAOK in 2023. As of now, he has made over 10 appearances for PAOK.

William Troost-Ekong International Career:

Even though Troost-Ekong was born in the Netherlands, he chose to play international football for Nigeria. His journey in international football started when he played for the Netherlands at the under-19 and under-20 levels.

However, he decided to represent Nigeria at the senior level. He made his debut for the Nigerian national team, also known as the Super Eagles, on June 13, 2015. In his first match, he played the full 90 minutes in an Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Chad.

In 2016, Troost-Ekong made three starts for the senior Nigerian team. That same year, he was selected for Nigeria’s under-23 team for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. Troost-Ekong’s performance and leadership skills earned him a spot in Nigeria’s 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

This was a proud moment for him and his fans as he represented Nigeria on one of the biggest stages in football. In 2019, Troost-Ekong was included in Nigeria’s 23-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.

During the tournament, he made a memorable impact, scoring an important goal. In the 89th minute of a match against South Africa, he scored a goal that sent Nigeria to the semi-finals. This goal was crucial for Nigeria’s journey in the tournament, which ended with the team securing a third-place finish.

Troost-Ekong’s leadership qualities were again recognized when he was named captain of the Super Eagles for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

His performance was outstanding; he was named in the tournament’s Technical Study Group’s Best XI of the Group Stage. He also scored a goal against Guinea-Bissau. However, Nigeria was knocked out in the next round by Tunisia.

During the 2022 World Cup qualification third round, Troost-Ekong played an important part in a crucial match against Ghana. He scored a penalty in the second leg match, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Yet, Nigeria was defeated on the away goals rule and did not qualify for the World Cup in Qatar. In December 2023, Troost-Ekong was named in the 25-man squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.

He made a major contribution to his team, scoring a penalty in a 1-0 win against Ivory Coast in the group stage. In the semi-final match against South Africa, he scored another penalty to give his team the lead.

The match ended in a 1-1 draw, but Nigeria won 4-2 in the shootouts. In the final match against Ivory Coast, Troost-Ekong scored the first goal, but Nigeria lost 2-1. Despite the defeat, Troost-Ekong’s performance was great, earning him the Player of the Tournament award.

Troost-Ekong’s record at the Africa Cup of Nations is impressive. He has scored five goals, which is the highest number of goals scored by a defender in the history of the tournament.

William Troost-Ekong Market Value:

William Troost-Ekong’s current market value is €2.00 million. The highest market value he ever reached was €5.00 million, and that was on December 23, 2021. However, his market value was last updated on May 30, 2024.

William Troost-Ekong Honors:

PAOK

2023/2024P: Super League Greece

Nigeria U23

2016: Olympic Bronze Medal

Nigeria

2019: Third place, 2023: Africa Cup of Nations runner-up

Individual

2023: Africa Cup of Nations Player of the Tournament
2023: Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2023

Orders

Member of the Order of the Niger

Ken Anucha

Kenneth is a an avid soccer follower, fan and writer. He is a consistent follower of the sport and is a fan of Chelsea FC.