William Troost-Ekong: Football Profile, Nigeria Caps and Net Worth

William Troost-Ekong is a Nigerian football centre-back born in Haarlem, Netherlands, on 1 September 1993, who announced his international retirement on 4 December 2025. He joined Al-Ahli in Doha on 20 January 2026, taking a career familiar to football and soccer followers across Africa from European leagues through Saudi Arabia to Qatar.

For Nigeria, his story carries the weight of a captain who scored when the occasion demanded it. His goal in the AFCON 2023 final in 2024, the late winner against South Africa in 2019 and the penalty against Ghana in 2022 explain why his name travels beyond a team sheet. His club journey, reported earnings and final international record deserve the same care as those memories.

Who Is William Troost-Ekong?

William Paul Troost-Ekong is a Nigerian centre-back born in Haarlem, Netherlands, on 1 September 1993. He represented Netherlands youth teams in 2011 and 2013 before making his senior Nigeria debut in 2015.

His move to Al-Ahli placed him in the Qatar Stars League, with Voice of Nigeria reporting his arrival on 20 January 2026 and a contract running to June 2028. This is Al-Ahli of Doha, which matters when similarly named clubs appear in searches. Retirement reports put his Nigeria record at 83 caps when he announced his international retirement in December 2025.

His biography is best read as two connected timelines: the clubs where he developed his professional career and the Nigeria tournaments that shaped his international reputation. A club transfer does not reset the international record, while international retirement does not by itself end a club career. Keeping those timelines separate helps readers understand why a historical Nigeria appearance and a later club signing can both belong in the same profile without describing the same stage of his career.

How Did Troost-Ekong Reach Al-Ahli?

Troost-Ekong’s route to Qatar included club football in Italy, England, Greece and Saudi Arabia. For Nigerian supporters following his career, those moves connected his Super Eagles performances with several domestic competitions.

He joined Udinese on 17 August 2018. Italy brought him into Serie A before Watford signed him on 29 September 2020 on a five-year contract. His Watford spell connected him more directly with African audiences following English football, while his earlier years already offered experience of several European leagues. Published reports do not establish reliable fees for these moves, so attaching precise transfer prices would suggest knowledge the record does not provide.

He joined PAOK on a free transfer on 4 July 2023. PAOK won the Greek Super League in 2023-24, giving his club career a domestic championship to sit beside his international medals. He moved to Al-Kholood in September 2024, then joined Al-Ahli in January 2026. Reported fees and wages require separate treatment: a transfer payment goes between clubs and does not become the player’s personal wealth.

What does the Gulf move mean for supporters following African footballers? Qatar and Saudi Arabia have separate domestic leagues, so an Al-Kholood salary report cannot describe an Al-Ahli contract automatically. His move changed both his competition and his viewing arrangements. For readers in Lagos, Nairobi or Kampala, the practical task is to check the competition attached to each fixture and the territory covered by its broadcaster, rather than assume every Gulf match appears on the same service.

What Does Troost-Ekong Do on the Pitch?

Troost-Ekong plays in central defence, where positioning, aerial challenges and communication shape how supporters judge his work. His defining Nigeria performances also show an attacking contribution at set pieces and from the penalty spot. A centre-back’s influence is often easiest to notice when an opponent finds space; his AFCON story offers the opposite perspective, with decisive moments inside the other penalty area making the defensive captain impossible to overlook.

The defining match for South African readers came in the AFCON quarter-final on 10 July 2019. Troost-Ekong scored the 89th-minute winner as Nigeria beat Bafana Bafana 2-1, before the Eagles finished third. That late finish is the kind of moment that sends a viewing centre erupting in celebration. For Nigerian supporters, that finish became an enduring example of a defender settling a match usually remembered through its forwards.

His AFCON 2023 performances, delivered during the tournament held in 2024, gave that reputation greater substance. He scored against South Africa in the semi-final and against Ivory Coast in the final, then received Player of the Tournament. Pulse Nigeria’s May 2024 account also credited him with setting a record for goals by a defender at the competition.

For a closer reading of those Nigeria performances, use the scoring moments as a starting point, then watch his work between them. Notice where he positions himself before a cross, how he responds when a defensive partner steps forward and where he offers a passing option after possession changes. These questions give supporters a way to assess central defence beyond the highlights. They also keep a memorable attacking contribution in proportion to the responsibilities of his position.

What Is Troost-Ekong’s Nigeria Record?

Troost-Ekong made his senior Nigeria debut against Chad on 13 June 2015, after representing Netherlands youth teams in 2011 and 2013. He appeared at the Rio 2016 Olympics, the 2018 World Cup and the AFCON editions labelled 2019, 2021 and 2023. The latter two editions were played in 2022 and 2024 respectively, an important distinction when matching tournament names to dates in the results archive.

His AFCON goals include the winner against South Africa on 10 July 2019, a penalty against South Africa in the semi-final on 7 February 2024 and his goal against Ivory Coast in the final on 11 February 2024. Those moments give Nigerian supporters several tournament memories of their captain contributing in attack.

South Africa’s connection continued in that 2024 semi-final: he converted during the 1-1 draw and again in the shootout Nigeria won 4-2. Ghanaian readers have another decisive penalty to remember. On 29 March 2022, his spot kick made the World Cup qualifying second leg against the Black Stars finish 1-1, but Ghana advanced on away goals. His later international goals included one in Nigeria’s 2-1 qualifying victory over Lesotho in Polokwane on 10 October 2025.

He announced his retirement on 4 December 2025, with retirement coverage crediting him with 83 Nigeria caps.

His honours include Olympic bronze in 2016, AFCON third place in 2019 and the runner-up medal from AFCON 2023, alongside PAOK’s 2023-24 Greek title. His individual recognition includes AFCON 2023 Player of the Tournament. Retirement coverage presented his decision as closing his international chapter, rather than supplying a detailed explanation of every personal consideration.

William Troost-Ekong net worth

Pulse Nigeria estimated William Troost-Ekong’s net worth at £4,877,600 on 7 May 2024, attributing the figure to “multiple sources” and identifying football salary as its main basis. That is a published estimate, rather than audited accounts or a disclosure from the player. Its precision should not disguise the limited explanation behind it. Other unofficial figures cannot be reconciled simply by choosing the largest number, especially when their dates and methods differ.

For salary, Kick Off Nigeria reported approximately €4.53 million a year and €94,349 a week at Al-Kholood for 2024-25. Pulse Nigeria’s 2024 profile reported approximately £1 million annually and £16,000 weekly at PAOK. The weekly and annual amounts in each report do not reconcile neatly over a full year, so they should remain attributed quotations rather than a calculation presented as exact. Neither report establishes what Al-Ahli agreed to pay him in 2026.

Published reports provide no separate figures for Troost-Ekong’s endorsements, image rights or market valuation. His reported wages cannot establish his net worth without information about his savings, investments and expenditure. Nor does a club’s transfer payment reveal how much he personally receives. Readers comparing the May 2024 estimate in Ghanaian cedis, South African rand, Nigerian naira or shillings in Kenya and Uganda would also need an exchange rate dated to that estimate.

How Can You Watch Troost-Ekong Across Africa?

To watch Troost-Ekong from Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana or Uganda, check the fixture module for the competition and the viewing information for your country. His January 2026 move means Qatar Stars League coverage is the relevant starting point for league appearances. Availability can differ across countries and competitions, so confirm that a listed service carries the particular match before arranging a subscription or gathering friends for the broadcast.

Read the date beside the kick-off time as carefully as the clock. A match listed at 18:00 GMT starts at 19:00 WAT in Nigeria, 20:00 SAST in South Africa and 21:00 EAT in Kenya and Uganda; Ghana uses GMT. Use the lineup module to distinguish a scheduled club fixture from a confirmed appearance. For Nigeria matches, remember that his international retirement was announced in December 2025, so those broadcasts concern the next Super Eagles chapter.

When organising a shared viewing, pass on the competition name, fixture date and all four time zones together. Check whether the listed broadcast time marks the start of studio coverage or the actual kick-off. For an archive match involving Nigeria, include the tournament edition and the year it was played, particularly for AFCON 2021 in 2022 and AFCON 2023 in 2024. That small distinction helps friends find the intended recording and follow the correct stage of his international career.