Colossal defender once released by Tottenham now named AFCON’s best player

Follow us on Google Discover

William Troost-Ekong has been named as the best player at the Africa Cup of Nations some 11 years after leaving Tottenham Hotspur.

The Africa Cup of Nations came to an end on Sunday with host nation Ivory Coast pulling off a 2-1 final victory over Nigeria.

Their story was remarkable; boss Jean-Louis Gasset was sacked midway through the tournament and Emerse Fee guided them to glory.

Add in that striker Sebastien Haller scored the winner after a battle with cancer and their journey has been truly unbelievable.

Nigeria will be gutted to have thrown away a one-goal lead in that final but one player has been recognised for his performances…

Ex-Tottenham talent Willian Troost-Ekong wins AFCON Best Player award

Nigeria defender William Troost-Ekong enjoyed a superb tournament and has now been named as the ‘Best Player’ at the competition.

Many would have expected the likes of Victor Osimhen, Sadio Mane, Riyad Mahrez, Mohamed Salah or Mohammed Kudus to be winning that award.

Instead it’s defender Troost-Ekong, who was simply colossal in the heart of the Nigeria back line throughout the tournament.

Troost-Ekong served as Nigeria captain and scored three goals, including crucial strikes in the semi-finals and the final.

The 30-year-old missed out on lifting the AFCON trophy but has at least had his individual displays recognised with his award.

Some Tottenham fans may recognise Troost-Ekong’s name as he spent time in the Spurs ranks.

Troost-Ekong joined Tottenham from Fulham in 2010 having been schooled in England despite being born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and Nigerian father.

Troost-Ekong was never able to make the grade at Tottenham and was released at the age of 19 in 2013.

A return to the Netherlands materialised as Troost-Ekong replaced Virgil van Dijk in the Groningen back line following his move to Celtic.

The 6ft 3in defender has made plenty of moves in recent times, joining Dordrecht, Gent, Haugesund, Bursaspor and Udinese before finding his way back to English football with Watford in 2020.

The 30-year-old became a regular with the Hornets but left for Greek side PAOK last summer following a loan spell with Italian side Salernitana.

Troost-Ekong is bound to have attracted interest after his superb AFCON campaign and he may yet fancy another crack at Premier League action having excelled with Nigeria.