Super Eagles skipper and AFCON 2024 player of the tournament William Troost-Ekong has caught the attention of clubs in Saudi Arabia following an impressive display at the just concluded tournament held in Ivory Coast.
The 30-year-old Greek based defender who recently bagged a national honour after leading his side to a second-placed finish in the Africa Cup of Nations where his goal in the final was not enough to see his team go all the way following a 2-1 loss to the host nation Ivory Coast.
Troost-Ekong featured in six games at the Africa Cup of Nations, scoring three goals. He missed only one game against Guinea Bissau in the group stages.
The PAOK player became only the first defender since Rigobert Song in 2002 to win the player of the tournament award and only the second Nigerian since Christian Chukwu at the 1980 edition.
Ekong's goal against Ivory Coast in the final took his AFCON tally to five, making him Nigeria’s highest-scoring defender in the history of the competition and he's also made history by becoming the first defender to score three goals in a single AFCON competition since the 2010 edition according to Opta.
Saudi Pro League wants Super Eagles' William Troost-Ekong
According to reports from Fabrizio Romano, the interest is real and strong from the Saudi Pro League clubs and has grown massively all in a bid to land Troost-Ekong in the summer.
However, his current deal in Greece with PAOK runs until the summer of 2026 and there is every possibility that the club would listen to offers.
Troost-Ekong has been pretty impressive for his side in the Greek Super League and in the Europa League, featuring ten times so far this season.
A chance to take his eco-friendly campaign to the middle east?
William Troost-Ekong who was born to a Nigerian father and a Dutch mother wore some creatively special boots at the Africa Cup of Nations with the boots being customized by Sokito.
The boots which were made from corn waste, sugarcane, bamboo and other eco-friendly materials does feature a unique design inspired by the country’s (Nigeria) landscape and the green colour of the national team’s jersey.
Troost-Ekong became the first footballer to wear sustainably-made football boots in an international sporting event.
The Nigeria captain is one of 16 professional footballers who invested in the eco-friendly boot company in 2023 alongside the likes of Dominc Bernard, Tom Cleverley, Luuk de Jong and Adrian Mariappa.
Following a brilliant outing at the AFCON in Ivory Coast, Troost-Ekong will be looking to translate his good form from the national team to helping his Greek-side finish the season with laurels come the end of this campaign.
