Saturday’s showing against Libya was another classy performance by the Udinese defender, and at the age of 24, has the potential to become one of the best of his generation.
To the casual football fan, it may have come as little surprise that the Super Eagles were able to overcome Libya with ease in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier on Saturday.
Though the Super Eagles needed Odion Ighalo’s treble and Samuel Kalu’s curler to win convincingly. However, it was Leon Balogun’s partner in defense that particularly impressed – William Troost Ekong.
Over the course of the 90 minutes of action, the defender made the most tackles (5), clearances (14) and interceptions (4) out of any of his team-mates, whilst also making an incredible 119 touches throughout the game. While not boasting the highest passing accuracy, Ekong did attempt 70 passes. Not bad for a central defender.
While it is true that some of the defensive decisions of Ekong is, at times, lacking, particularly when compared to his team-mates, the former KAA Gent defender still has time on his side to improve on this, and add to an already very promising set of skills.
