William Troost-Ekong

William Troost-Ekong

Troost-Ekong playing for Nigeria in 2017
Personal information
Full name	William Paul Troost-Ekong [1]
Date of birth	(1993-09-01) 1 September 1993 (age 31) [1]
Place of birth	Haarlem, Netherlands
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) [2]
Position(s)	Centre-back
Team information
Current team	Al-Kholood
Number	5
Youth career
2008–2010	Fulham
2010–2013	Tottenham Hotspur
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2013–2015	Groningen	2	(0)
2014–2015	→ Dordrecht (loan)	32	(0)
2015–2017	Gent	8	(0)
2015–2016	→ Haugesund (loan)	37	(3)
2017–2018	Bursaspor	28	(3)
2018–2020	Udinese	65	(0)
2020–2023	Watford	64	(2)
2023	→ Salernitana (loan)	9	(1)
2023–2024	PAOK	10	(0)
2024–	Al-Kholood	13	(1)
International career‡
2011	Netherlands U19	1	(0)
2013	Netherlands U20	2	(0)
2016	Nigeria U23	6	(0)
2015–	Nigeria	76	(7)
Medal record Men's football Representing   Nigeria Summer Olympics 2016 Rio de Janeiro Africa Cup of Nations Runner-up 2023 Ivory Coast 2019 Egypt
*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 23:13, 6 December 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 23:33, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

WilliamPaul Troost-Ekong MON (born 1 September 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Saudi Pro League club Al-Kholood. Born in the Netherlands, he captains and plays for the Nigeria national team.

Born into a mixed Dutch and Nigerian family, Troost-Ekong was eligible for both the Netherlands and Nigeria at international level. He made his debut for Nigeria in 2015 and has since earned more than 70 caps.

Club career

Troost-Ekong attended secondary school at Hockerill Anglo-European College in Bishop’s Stortford, in England. He played football at youth level in England for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, ^[3] Troost-Ekong began his senior career in the Netherlands with FC Groningen and FC Dordrecht. ^{[2] [4]}

After being linked abroad with transfers to Celtic among others, ^[3] he signed for Belgian club KAA Gent in July 2015 and was immediately loaned out to Norwegian club FK Haugesund. ^[5]

In July 2017, Troost-Ekong signed for Turkish Süper Lig club Bursaspor. ^[6]

On 17 August 2018, Troost-Ekong joined Italian Serie A club Udinese. ^[7] In his debut season in the Serie A, he made 35 league appearances and was booked four times, helping Udinese to 12th position. ^[8] The next season, Udinese finished 13th, albeit with two more points. Despite the team's relatively lacklustre league campaigns, Troost-Ekong started (and played for the full 90 minutes) in memorable victories against AC Milan and Juventus in his two seasons at Le Zebrette.

On 29 September 2020, Troost-Ekong signed for EFL Championship side Watford on a five-year contract deal. ^[9] He scored his first goal for the club in a 3–2 win over Coventry City on 7 November 2020. ^[10]

On 24 January 2023, Troost-Ekong signed for Serie A club Salernitana on a loan with the option to buy at the end of the season. ^[11]

On 4 July 2023, he joined Greek club PAOK on a permanent deal for a free transfer. ^[12]

On 23 August 2024, Troost-Ekong joined Saudi Arabian club Al-Kholood. ^[13]

International career

Troost-Ekong training with Nigeria in 2015

Troost Ekong was born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother, Eleanore Troost and a Nigerian father. He has two siblings, Emily and Everest.

Despite representing the Netherlands at under-19 and under-20 youth levels, ^[3] Troost-Ekong eventually chose to represent Nigeria. He made his senior international debut for the Super Eagles on 13 June 2015, playing 90 minutes in an AFCON qualifying match against Chad. ^[14]

He made three starts for the senior team in 2016 before being selected for Nigeria's under-23 team in their 35-man provisional squad for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. ^[15] In June 2018 he was named in Nigeria's 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. ^[16]

Troost-Ekong was named in the country's 23-man squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, ^[17] where he scored an 89th-minute winner against South Africa to send his team through to the semi-finals on the way to a third-place finish.

He captained the Super Eagles in the delayed 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, ^[18] and was named in the tournament Technical Study Group's Best XI of the Group Stage, ^[19] scoring against Guinea-Bissau. ^[20] Nigeria went on to be knocked out by Tunisia in the following round. ^[21]

During the 2022 World Cup qualification third round, he scored a penalty in the second leg match against Ghana, which ended in a 1–1 draw and a defeat on the away goals rule; hence, his nation failed to reach the main tournament in Qatar. ^[22]

On 29 December 2023, Troost-Ekong was named in the 25-man squad for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. ^[23] He converted a penalty in a 1–0 win in the second group stage match against Ivory Coast. ^[24] In the semi-final match against South Africa, he scored another penalty to grant his team the lead in a 1–1 draw, before scoring during the shootouts which ended in a 4–2 win. ^[25] He later scored the first goal in the final match against Ivory Coast which ended in a 2–1 defeat. ^[26] Nonetheless, he managed to win the Player of the Tournament award. ^[27]

His tally of five goals at the AFCON is the current record for the highest number of goals scored by a defender in the history of AFCON. ^[28]

Career statistics

Club

As of match played 6 December 2024 ^[29]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League			National cup [a]		League cup [b]		Continental		Other		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Groningen	2013–14	Eredivisie	2	0	—		—		—		—		2	0
Dordrecht (loan)	2013–14	Eerste Divisie	10	0	—		—		—		1 [c]	0	11	0
	2014–15	Eredivisie	22	0	1	0	—		—		—		23	0
	Total		32	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	34	0
Haugesund (loan)	2015	Eliteserien	13	0	—		—		—		—		13	0
	2016		24	3	4	1	—		—		—		28	4
	Total		37	3	4	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	41	4
Gent	2016–17	Belgian Pro League	8	0	0	0	—		—		—		8	0
Bursaspor	2017–18	Süper Lig	27	2	4	0	—		—		—		31	2
	2018–19		1	1	0	0	—		—		—		1	1
	Total		28	3	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	32	3
Udinese	2018–19	Serie A	35	0	0	0	—		—		—		35	0
	2019–20		30	0	1	0	—		—		—		31	0
	Total		65	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	66	0
Watford	2020–21	Championship	32	1	1	0	0	0	—		—		33	1
	2021–22	Premier League	17	0	1	0	0	0	—		—		18	0
	2022–23	Championship	15	1	1	0	1	0	—		—		17	1
	Total		64	2	3	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	68	2
Salernitana (loan)	2022–23	Serie A	9	1	—		—		—		—		9	1
PAOK	2023–24	Super League Greece	10	0	0	0	—		12 [d]	0	—		22	0
	2024–25	Super League Greece	0	0	—		—		2 [e]	1	—		2	1
	Total		10	0	0	0	0	0	14	1	0	0	24	1
Al-Kholood	2024–25	Saudi Pro League	13	1	1	0	—		—		—		14	1
Career total			268	10	14	1	1	0	14	1	1	0	298	12

1. Includes KNVB Cup, Norwegian Cup, Turkish Cup, Coppa Italia, FA Cup, King Cup
2. Includes EFL Cup
3. Appearance in Eerste Divisie promotion play-offs
4. Appearances in UEFA Europa Conference League
5. Appearances in UEFA Champions League

International

As of match played 18 November 2024 ^[14]

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Nigeria	2015	4	0
	2016	5	0
	2017	8	0
	2018	12	1
	2019	14	1
	2020	3	0
	2021	8	0
	2022	10	2
	2023	0	0
	2024	12	3
Total		76	7

Scores and results list Nigeria's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Troost-Ekong goal. ^[14]

List of international goals scored by William Troost-Ekong

No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	28 May 2018	Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Port Harcourt, Nigeria	DR Congo	1–0	1–1	Friendly
2	10 July 2019	Cairo International Stadium, Cairo, Egypt	South Africa	2–1	2–1	2019 Africa Cup of Nations
3	19 January 2022	Roumdé Adjia Stadium, Garoua, Cameroon	Guinea-Bissau	2–0	2–0	2021 Africa Cup of Nations
4	29 March 2022	Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, Nigeria	Ghana	1–1	1–1	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	18 January 2024	Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast	Ivory Coast	1–0	1–0	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
6	7 February 2024	Stade de la Paix, Bouaké, Ivory Coast	South Africa	1–0	1–1 ( a.e.t. )	2023 Africa Cup of Nations
7	11 February 2024	Alassane Ouattara Stadium, Abidjan, Ivory Coast	Ivory Coast	1–0	1–2	2023 Africa Cup of Nations

Honours

PAOK

• Super League Greece: 2023–24 ^[30]

Nigeria U23

• Olympic Bronze Medal: 2016

Nigeria

• Africa Cup of Nations runner-up: 2023; ^[31] third place: 2019 ^[32]

Individual

• Africa Cup of Nations Player of the Tournament: 2023 ^[27]
• Africa Cup of Nations Team of the Tournament: 2023 ^[33]

Orders

• Member of the Order of the Niger ^[34]

References

1. "Olympic Football Tournaments Rio 2016 – Men | List of Players" (PDF). FIFA.com. Fédération Internationale de Football Association. 25 July 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 July 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
2. William Troost-Ekong at Soccerway. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
3. "Celtic eye Groningen defender William Troost-Ekong". The Scotsman. 12 March 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
4. "Profile" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Archived from the original on 7 July 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
5. Oluwashina Okeleji (28 July 2015). "Nigerian defender William Troost-Ekong joins Gent". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 29 July 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
6. "Bursaspor Kulübü Resmi İnternet Sitesi". www.bursaspor.org.tr (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 15 June 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
7. "UFFICIALE: Udinese, ingaggiato Troost-Ekong" (in Italian). Retrieved 17 August 2018.
8. "Troost-Ekong Positive On Udinese Future After Escaping Relegation". Complete Sports. 27 March 2019. Archived from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
9. "Troost-Ekong Joins Watford". MySportDab. 30 September 2020. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
10. "Watford 3-2 Coventry". BBC. 7 November 2020. Archived from the original on 7 November 2020. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
11. Adetunji, Joshua (24 January 2023). "Troost-Ekong confirms Watford departure". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 24 January 2023. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
12. "William Troost-Ekong joins PAOK". 4 July 2023.
13. "تروست القائد الدولي الثامن في "روشن"".
14. "William Troost-Ekong". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmermann. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
15. Oluwashina Okeleji (24 June 2016). "Kelechi Iheanacho included in Nigeria's Olympics squad". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 24 October 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
16. Crawford, Stephen (4 June 2018). "Revealed: Every World Cup 2018 squad – Final 23-man lists". Goal. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
17. "Nigeria: Super Eagles' Team List for Afcon 2019". Vanguard (Nigeria). All Africa. 11 June 2019. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
18. "Afcon should '100% be more respected'". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
19. "Moses, Troost-Ekong among Africa's Best 11 At AFCON". The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News. 23 January 2022. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
20. "William Troost-Ekong Game by Game Stats and Performance". ESPN. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
21. "Afcon last 16: Tunisia stun 10-man Nigeria after Burkina Faso beat Gabon". The Guardian. Reuters. 23 January 2022. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
22. "Ghana edge Nigeria on away goals to qualify for Qatar World Cup". ESPN. 29 March 2022. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
23. Olu Ibidapo, Ayodele (29 December 2023). "Peseiro names 25 players as Super Eagles seek fourth AFCON title in Cote d'Ivoire". Nigeria Football Federation. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
24. "Ivory Coast 0–1 Nigeria". BBC Sport. 18 January 2024. Archived from the original on 11 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
25. "Nigeria beat South Africa to reach AFCON final in penalty shootout thriller". France 24. 7 February 2024. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
26. "Nigeria 1–2 Ivory Coast". BBC Sport. 11 February 2024. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
27. "TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Cote d'Ivoire 2023 Awards". CAF. 11 February 2024. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
28. Oyebola, Mike (12 February 2024). "AFCON 2023: Troost-Ekong makes history in Super Eagles' defeat to Cote d'Ivoire". Daily Post Nigeria. Archived from the original on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
29. "W. Troost-Ekong". Soccerway. Archived from the original on 12 June 2020. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
30. "ΠΑΟΚ 4Χ4 και... 1,2, 4 ως αουτσάιντερ: από 75-68 το έκανε 78-80!". Gazzetta (in Greek). 19 May 2024. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
31. Stevens, Rob (11 February 2024). "Nigeria 1–2 Ivory Coast". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on 12 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
32. "Africa Cup of Nations third-place play-off – Tunisia 0–1 Nigeria – Live – BBC Sport". BBC Sport. 17 July 2019. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
33. "CAF TSG Group releases TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nation Cote d'Ivoire 2023 Best XI". CAF Online. Confederation of African Football. 14 February 2024. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
34. "Afcon: Ivory Coast and Nigeria players get cash, villas and honours". BBC News . 13 February 2024. Retrieved 24 February 2024.

External links

• Official website
• Netherlands profile at OnsOranje