The Nigerian international is one of the most vocal voices calling for climate action in football, and he has urged the PSG superstar to lead the way
In a move towards making football transfers more environmentally friendly, Nigerian international and Watford defender William Troost-Ekong has challenged PSG forward Kylian Mbappe to champion the planet’s sustainability through football, Soccernet.ng reports.
Troost-Ekong also charged all players and clubs to prioritise climate neutrality, especially during the summer transfer window.
The Super Eagles defender, who recently completed a carbon-neutral transfer from Watford to Salernitana in Serie A, urges the football community to take collective action in mitigating the sport’s carbon footprint.
Troost-Ekong’s commitment to sustainability saw him plant olive trees in Salerno to offset the carbon emissions generated during his transfer.
By collaborating with Sokito, a company producing eco-friendly football boots, and supporting the Alberami project, which promotes sustainable farming methods, Troost-Ekong is paving the way for climate-conscious transfers.
Acknowledging that his influence may be limited, Troost-Ekong hopes that his carbon-neutral transfer will attract attention and inspire more players to follow suit.
Notably, he has called upon Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe, who boasts a massive following, particularly among the youth, to lend his voice to the cause of living more sustainably.
“I’m not a very famous player, but this transfer could draw a lot of attention,” Troost-Ekong told the Guardian.
“Hopefully more climate-neutral transfers will follow in June. Hopefully, someone like Kylian Mbappé would speak out about living more sustainably. That would be great because he has so many young people following him.”
Salernitana paid a loan fee of €500,000 to complete the signing of Troost-Ekong in January.
The defender has played in eight Serie A games since that move and played his part in the club avoiding relegation to Serie B.
Last weekend, Troost-Ekong scored a stoppage-time winner – his first Serie A goal ever – to help Salernitana defeat his former club, Udinese.
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