William Troost-Ekong

William Troost-Ekong Biography / Profile

William Paul Troost-Ekong was born on September 1st, 1993 in Haarlem, Netherlands. His father Troost Ekong hails from Etinan in Etinan local government area of Akwa Inom State, Nigeria, while his mother, Eleanore Troost, is Dutch. He is a professional footballer who plays as a centre back for Turkish club Bursaspor and the Nigerian national team.

William Troost-Ekong Age

William Troost-Ekong is 31 years old.

William Troost-Ekong Early Life

Ekong grew up in the Netherlands just outside Amsterdam, but regularly visited his family at their home in Ikeja, Lagos. He is the middle child with a junior brother and an older sister. Although doing well at school, he signed for the Tottenham Hotspur academy full time at the age of 16 after spending little team with the Fulham academy, both in England.

William Troost-Ekong Career

After playing football at the youth level in England for Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur, Troost-Ekong began his senior career in the Netherlands with FC Groningen and FC Dordrecht. After being linked abroad with transfers to Celtic and other clubs, he signed for Belgian club, KAA Gent, in July 2015, immediately joining Norwegian club, FK Haugesund, on loan. In July 2017, he signed for Turkish club Buraspor of the Süper Lig.

After representing Netherlands at different youth levels including under-19 and undr-20, Troost-Ekong says he always wanted to play for Nigeria. According to him, “When I got the opportunity to commit my international future by playing for the Super Eagles, it was an easy choice.” He made his senior international debut for Nigeria on June 13th, 2015, playing 90 minutes in an AFCON qualifier against Chad.

He made 3 starts for the senior team in 2016 before being selected by Nigeria's under-23 team in their 35-man provisional squad for the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics where he won the bronze medal with the team.

William Troost-Ekong Personal Life

Troost-Ekong is not married but has a girlfriend. He says his dream is to play in the premier league and to play for the Super Eagles at a big tournament. As a Christian, he hopes to be a role model for any kid that decides to follow their dreams.