Former Super Eagles Captain William Troost-Ekong Converts to Islam in Qatar
The 83-cap former Nigeria captain and 2023 AFCON Player of the Tournament recited the Shahada in Doha.
By Abdullahi Yusuf
Former Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has embraced Islam in Qatar after reciting the Shahada in Doha, marking a major personal development for the Nigerian football star.
The 33-year-old defender, who plays for Qatar Stars League side Al-Ahli, is seen in a video reciting the two testimonies of faith in Arabic. Qatar’s Al-Arab reported on Wednesday that Troost-Ekong had declared his Islam after reciting the Shahada during his time in Doha.
Al Jazeera’s report on the development said Troost-Ekong also expressed a desire to read more and learn about Islam. However, the reports available so far do not establish when he began exploring the faith or what specifically influenced his decision.
The conversion comes after a football career that has taken Troost-Ekong from the Netherlands and England through professional leagues in Europe and, more recently, the Middle East.
Born in Haarlem, Netherlands, on September 1, 1993, to a Nigerian father and Dutch mother, Troost-Ekong developed through the youth systems of Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur before beginning his senior career with FC Groningen in 2013.
He subsequently played for FC Dordrecht, Belgian side Gent and Norway’s FK Haugesund before moving to Turkey’s Bursaspor in 2017. His European career later included Udinese in Italy, Watford in England, Salernitana in Italy and PAOK in Greece, where he helped the club win the Greek Super League in the 2023/24 season.
He moved to Saudi Arabia in 2024 to join Al-Kholood before switching to Al-Ahli in Qatar in January 2026, bringing his career to Doha, where the reports of his conversion emerged.
Troost-Ekong’s Super Eagles career began on June 13, 2015, when he made his senior debut against Chad in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. He went on to become one of Nigeria’s leading defenders of his generation, earning 83 caps and captaining the national team at major international tournaments. CAF describes him as one of Nigeria’s defining defenders of the modern era.
He represented Nigeria at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and multiple Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, while also winning bronze at the 2016 Olympic Games and the 2019 AFCON.
His most celebrated international campaign came at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Côte d’Ivoire, where he captained Nigeria to the final, scored in the tournament and was named Player of the Tournament by CAF. He finished the competition with five goals, an exceptional tally for a defender.
Troost-Ekong announced his retirement from international football in December 2025 after a decade with the Super Eagles. CAF records his international career at 83 caps and notes his three major tournament medals, including Olympic and AFCON bronze medals and the silver medal from the 2023 AFCON.
Now based in Qatar at club level, the former Nigeria captain has made his declaration of faith publicly by reciting the Shahada, with further details of his personal journey into Islam yet to be made public.
WATCH: Troost-Ekong Recites Shahada in Qatar
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