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- Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has been recognised at the African Nations Football Awards
- Ekong was given a special award for his performances at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast
- The Al-Kholood defender will go against his compatriot Ademola Lookman for the CAF Best Award
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has received a special recognition award organised by an African football body ahead of CAF Best Award next month.
Troost-Ekong has been a pivotal member of the Super Eagles squad and clubs PAOK Thessaloniki and Saudi Arabian club Al-Kholood in the last one year.
Source: Getty Images
As noted by CAF Online, he was nominated for the Men's Player of the Year at the 2024 CAF awards for his exploits for club and country in the year under review.
Ekong wins ANFA awards
The Dutch-born defender has been given special recognition at the 2024 African Nations Football Awards for his performances at AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast.
Ekong shared the news on his official X account, thanking Egyptian winger Omar Tarek for receiving the award on his behalf at the ceremony held in Cairo last night.
Nigerians questioned the award as it is not popular, and it comes ahead of the CAF POTY award, where compatriot Ademola Lookman is the leading favourite.
Even though the Atalanta forward could likely win, the Saudi-based defender is not to be overlooked, as he is also a strong contender to scoop the prestigious gold.
He captained Nigeria to the AFCON 2023 final in a losing attempt to hosts Ivory Coast, scoring three goals (same as Lookman), including in the semifinal against South Africa and final against Cote d'Ivoire, and was named the player of the tournament.
In his first and only season at PAOK Thessaloniki, he won the Greece Super League, playing 22 games in all competitions and missing the rest due to injuries and international duty.
Lookman recreates Ekong's celebration
Legit.ng reported that Lookman recreated Ekong's AFCON final celebration after scoring his second goal for Atalanta in the 3-0 victory over Victor Osimhen's Napoli.
Nigerians believed his two goals to humiliate Napoli were revenge for how the Italian club treated Osimhen during the summer transfer window, and his celebration gave him away.
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Source: Legit.ng
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