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Dutch-born Nigerian defender, William Troost-Ekong, is one part of the famous “oyinbo wall” that rose to become a formidable center-back partnership for the Super Eagles and later captained the team to an African Cup of Nations second-place finish in 2023.
Troost-Ekong's club career has seen him play in several European leagues before being crowned the best player of the 2023 AFCON. Since making his senior international debut for Nigeria in 2015, he has amassed 71 caps and represented the country in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics.
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He is also known for having a large heart, making donations, and showing love on many occasions. Pulse Sports reported that the defender made a decision to donate future earnings from the Super Eagles to help aspiring young footballers in Akwa Ibom.
In this article, we will quickly go through the top facts about one of Nigeria’s most capped soccer players of all time.
Who is William Troost-Ekong?
William Troost-Ekong is a Nigerian footballer who currently captains the Super Eagles of Nigeria and plays as a center-back for PAOK, a Greek club. Troost-Ekong began his professional career in the Netherlands and has earned over 70 caps for Nigeria while being a key part of the squad in five major tournaments.
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10 facts about William Troost-Ekong
1. William Troost-Ekong is Nigerian-Dutch
Super Eagles of Nigeria defender William Troost-Ekong was born into a mixed Dutch and Nigerian family in Haarlem, Netherlands. He was raised in his birthplace Netherlands along with and he has two siblings. The defender has a Nigerian father and Dutch mother, which made him eligible to play for both countries.
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2. William Troost-Ekong state of origin
Troost-Ekong hails from Akwa Ibom State in Nigeria, which is where his father is from. He might have been born in Haarlem, Netherlands, but his Nigerian roots run deep and he identifies strongly with his Nigerian heritage. His connection to Akwa Ibom goes beyond ancestry as he has been vocal about his love for the state, even donating his future national team earnings to support football development there.
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3. William Troost-Ekong age
Troost-Ekong was born on September 1, 1993, making him 30 years old (as of the time of writing this). This puts him in the prime of his career as a center-back, a position that often relies on experience and leadership alongside physical ability. Troost-Ekong's experience is evident in his role as captain of the Nigerian national team, a position he's held for several years and he will likely continue to be a key figure for both club and country for years to come.
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4. William Troost-Ekong studied in England
Troost-Ekong attended secondary school at Hockerill Anglo-European College in Bishop’s Stortford, in England. The reason for this was due to his father’s reluctance to allow him play soccer, a game he developed passion for at a tender age. Instead he wanted him to earn a university degree in other disciplines, thereby sending him to a boarding school at the age of 12.
However, the defender went on to pursue football as a career, playing youth level in England for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, alongside Harry Kane, before starting off his senior career in the Netherlands with FC Groningen and FC Dordrecht.
5. William Troost-Ekong father
Troost-Ekong has a Nigerian father who is from Akwa Ibom and goes by the name Paul Ekong. His mother is Eleanore Troost, and she is Dutch, while he has two siblings, Emily and Everest.
William's father was not in support of him pursuing football as a career, but his mother was fully behind him, a situation that created friction and eventually led to their separation. The defender and his father also stopped speaking to each other as a result of his choice, only making peace after a decade when William played at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
6. William Troost-Ekong club career
Troost-Ekong started playing senior club football in the Netherlands with Groningen, but went on a year-long loan to FC Dordrecht which helped him find his footing in the senior level.
The defender moved to Gent in Belgium but found it difficult to establish game time, before he opted to go on a season-long loan to Haugesund in Norway and then a permanent move to Turkish club Bursaspor.
After a year in Turkey, he eventually earned a move to a top-five league in Europe, joining Italian Serie A side Udinese. In 2020, the defender moved to Wafford in England, helping the Hornets gain promotion to the English Premier League in his first season, but later spent time on loan at Salernitana in the Serie A. Most recently, he signed with PAOK in Greece where he currently plays.
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7. William-Troost Ekong abandoned Netherlands to represent Nigeria
Troost-Ekong pledged his international allegiance to Nigeria in 2015, despite representing the Netherlands at youth level from 2011 to 2013. He debuted the same year he switched and quickly became a mainstay in the Super Eagles' defense. In 2016, he was part of Nigeria's squad for the Olympics men’s football tournament and he earned a bronze medal.
Troost-Ekong has earned over 70 caps for Nigeria to become the second-most capped defender in Nigeria's national team history and has been captaining them since 2021. He's been a part of their squads for major tournaments like the 2018 World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in 2019 and 2021, where Nigeria finished third. While they fell short in the 2023 AFCON final against Ivory Coast, Troost-Ekong was named as the player of the tournament.
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8. He holds the record for most goals scored by a defender in AFCON history
Troost-Ekong has scored five goals at the AFCON and holds the record for the highest number of goals scored by a defender in the history of AFCON. He scored three goals at the 2023 AFCON, after scoring one each in the 2019 and 2021 editions of the tournament.
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9. William Troost-Ekong salary and networth
Troost-Ekong earns close to £1 million every year playing for his current club, Greek side PAOK. This translates to about £16,000 per week in his current contract that lasts until 2026. His current networth is placed at £4,877,600 according to multiple sources, with the majority of his wealth coming from his salary as a soccer player.
10. William Troost-Ekong wife
Troost-Ekong tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend Molly, in a private ceremony in London in 2021.
Nigerian soccer players like Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi were among the celebrities present at the wedding in the United Kingdom.
The couple were together for seven years prior to the wedding and had their son, Oscar Ekong, in July 2018. Their union is also blessed with a daughter.
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