Troost Ekong: Super Eagles Captain Gives Reason for Moving to Saudi Arabia

Troost Ekong: Super Eagles Captain Gives Reason for Moving to Saudi Arabia

  • Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong joined Saudi Pro League side Al-Kholood weeks ago
  • He returned to the national team for the first time since the AFCON 2023 final due to injuries
  • Ekong has opened up on his decision to quit Greek champions PAOK and move to Saudi Arabia

Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has opened up about his decision to leave Greek champions PAOK Thessaloniki and join Saudi Pro League side Al-Kholood.

Ekong spent one season in Greece after joining the club in 2023 from EFL Championship side Watford, having spent the previous season on loan at Salernitana. He won the Greece Super League in his first year.

William Troost-Ekong playing for Nigeria in the AFCON 2023 final.
William Troost-Ekong applauds the fans after Nigeria lost the AFCON 2023 final to Ivory Coast. Photo by Visionhaus.
Source: Getty Images

The Dutch-Nigerian defender’s stock rose during the 2023 African Cup of Nations, where he was named the Player of the Tournament despite Nigeria losing the final.

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Ekong opens up on Saudi Arabia move

According to Street Journal, newly-promoted Saudi Arabian club Al-Kholood paid €1.2 million to PAOK to sign the Nigerian captain Troost Ekong.

The 31-year-old has now disclosed why he accepted the move despite having the opportunity to play in European competitions with the Greek champions.

He admitted that it was not in his plans during the AFCON as he was fully focused on helping Nigeria win its fourth title, which unfortunately did not happen.

“The rumours started after AFCON and my agent spoke with many clubs from around the world but there was a lot of interest from Saudi Arabia,” he told Counter Attack Podcast.

"I got an offer I couldn't turn down. I am 31, now I have to think about the big picture. I think the Saudi Premier League is competitive, you see the names that are playing there, in my first game was against Benzema, Kante, Fabinho, players that are world level.”

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“At the same time everybody talks about the opportunity you have there to guarantee your future to think about my family, kids,” he added.

The team are winless in their first two games of the season and nearly snatched a draw against Al-Ittihad in their first game if not for a late goal.

Ekong sends message to Nigerians

Legit.ng reported that Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong sent a message to Nigerian fans after leading the team to the goalless draw against Rwanda in Kigali.

The Al-Kholood defender played all available minutes as the three-time African champions kept two clean sheets to begin their AFCON 2025 qualifying campaign.

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Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Elijah Odetokun avatar

Elijah Odetokun (Sports Editor) Elijah Odetokun is a Nigerian sports editor at Legit NG. He has four years of working experience having previously worked at Daily Times Nigeria (August 2020 - September 2020), OmaSports (December 2020 - June 2021), El Futbolero (July 2021; September 2021- November 2021), and Sports Brief (November 2022 - July 2024). He is a press conference and interview specialist and has attended trainings held by Reuters, AIPS, and FIJ. He holds a Bachelor of Agriculture (2021) from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta. Reach me via elijah.odetokun@sportsbrief.com