Super Eagles skipper, William Troost-Ekong has been tipped to end his career at his present base in Saudi Arabia, as he has apparently settled down there in grand style.
Checks by Sports247 revealed that Troost-Ekong is currently enjoying his best start to days he previously spent at any other club side in his largely ubiquitous career.
In effect, the summer transfer that took Troost-Ekong from the comfort zones of Europe to Saudi Arabia, has been touted in some quarters as the perfect setting for his swansong in the round leather game.
Although some critics felt earlier on that Ekong opted for the wrong deal in leaving PAOK Saloniki of Greece to join Al-Khalood FC in the oil rich Middle East nation, his summer switch is all of a sudden apparently turning into a well-informed choice.
A hint about glory days ahead of Ekong appeared concretised after his first five matches after landing in the Arab kingdom nation, as the mulatto star, who was born in Haarlem, The Netherlands on September 1, 1993, hit the ground running and quickly got into major headlines.
Despite already now aged 31 and nearing the twilight of his career, the stout centre back with a Nigerian father from Etinan local government area of Akwa Ibom State and a Dutch mother appears to be leaving the best for last.
Such it might be, considering that Ekong has been a journeyman of sorts – not spending more than two or three seasons at any club.
That is now bound to change, as he looks ready to rest and roost in the Saudi sun.
The headline could jolly well read ‘Troost Is Here To Roost,’ following his spirited start to life in the Saudi Pro League and a goal came to his name after just five games.
He has been a prolific goal scorer with the Nigerian national team, for which he debuted on June 13th, 2025 in an African Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad, but the same cannot be said about his club data.
His sparse club statistics could jolly well be because there has not been a long-term stint with any club for the son of Mrs Eleanor Troost, who cut his football teeth in the academies of Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur of England.
He then stayed with FC Groningen of Netherlands from 2013 to 2015, with a loan deal at fellow-Dutch side, FC Dordrecht in between, and then a switch to KAA Gent of Belgium, plus another loan spell at Haugedund of Norway (2015-2016).
Two years later, Ekong was off to Bursaspor of Turkey, but he spent only one year there before moving to Udinese of Italy in 2018 and then romped on to Watford of England in 2020.
His quickfire moves resumed three years later, as he spent 2023 shared between Salernitana of Italy and PAOK of Greece, from where his dojourn in the Saudi sun began in the middle of 2024.
While Ekong’s three dramatic goals with Nigeria at the 2024 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire made him the competition’s overall highest scoring defender (with five sizzlers across three competitions) and the most valuable player of that year’s tournament, in which the Super Eagles clinched silver, he has been less prolific at club level.
His stats read no goal in 32 games with Dodrecht, 37 games and three goals with Haugesund, 28 matches and three goals at Bursaspor, 65 games but no goal at Udinese and two goals from 64 appearances with Watford.
However, in what has been interpreted as a signal that Troost-Ekong will stay longer at his present base, and may even hang his boots there, the member of Nigeria’s bronze medal-winning squad to the football event of Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil hit the bull’s eye early early in Saudi Arabia.
Although his first goal in the Pro League came in a 4-2 loss for his side on September 29th, there was a tinge of personal satisfaction for the vastly-improved stopper, who netted nail bitting penalties against Cote d’Ivoire and South Africa at the last Nations Cup.
Sadly, his bullet header that put Nigeria ahead of CIV in the final was not enough to seal victory, as the hosts romped back to win 2-1, but there was enough done already on a personal level by the smooth talking defender.
Consequently, many observers felt the father of Oscar Ekong would be buoyed by his national team heroics to seek a top-rate deal in central Europe, but he has apparently chosen to wind down his career and go to roost in the less demanding Middle East instead.
