Nigeria international William Troost-Ekong has finished the 2024/25 Saudi Pro League season as the top defender in shot interceptions, The PUNCH reports.
According to football statistics platform Sofascore, the Al-Kholood centre-back recorded 32 shot interceptions across the campaign, the highest in the entire Roshen League, to cement his status as a defensive lynchpin in his debut season in Saudi Arabia.
Troost-Ekong featured in 32 matches for Al-Kholood, starting every game and averaging 89 minutes per appearance for a total of 2,854 minutes on the pitch.
Despite Al-Kholood’s modest ninth-place finish with 40 points from 34 matches, the 31-year-old was a standout performer, leading a backline that managed four clean sheets in a season marked by defensive inconsistency.
His statistics reflect his consistent contributions, averaging 0.7 interceptions and 1.0 tackles per game, alongside a pass completion rate of 83 per cent.
He registered 24.3 accurate passes per game, including 17.2 in his own half at an impressive 92 per cent success rate, while also completing 55 per cent of his long balls and 50 per cent of his chip passes.
Offensively, he created one big chance and recorded one assist during the season.
While Troost-Ekong was not listed among the players called up for Nigeria’s Unity Cup squad in London, he remains a key figure for the Super Eagles.
He is set to captain the national team in their international friendly against Russia’s senior men’s team on Friday, June 6 at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow in a 21-man squad for that fixture, which includes fellow defenders Ola Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel, midfielders Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Raphael Onyedika, and forwards Victor Boniface and Sadiq Umar.
Off the pitch, the AFCON 2023 A Player of the Tournament has also taken up a global leadership role in climate action. He was recently unveiled as a Sport4Land Champion by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, joining a global campaign to raise awareness and drive action against land degradation and desertification.
As part of his ambassadorial duties, he will host a charity football match in Lagos on June 22, coinciding with this year’s Desertification and Drought Day in an event that aims to mobilise football fans and general public towards environmental sustainability, leveraging the sport’s global appeal.
