Ezekiel Isoken Henty (born 13 May 1993) is a Nigerian

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

who plays as a striker.

Club career

AC Milan

Born in

Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the List of cities in Africa by population, second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national ca ...

, Nigeria, Henty began his career at Flying Sports before joining

AC Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 and 1982–83 seasons ...

on 15 September 2012, alongside Favour Aniekan and was assigned to Milan Primavera. After being assigned to Milan Primavera, Henty went on to score 10 times in 22 appearances in all competitions, including scoring two braces against Cittadella Primavera and Udinese Primavera. While at Milan Primavera, Henty began taking responsibility since moving to Europe and have since grown up. Ahead of the 2013–14 season, Henty was told by AC Milan management that he would need to be loaned out to gain first team experience. The following month, in July, it was announced that Henty was loaned out to

Serie B The Serie B (), currently named Serie Balkrishna Industries, BKT for sponsorship reasons, is the second-highest division in the Italian football league system after the Serie A. It has been operating for over ninety years since the 1929–30 ...

side

Spezia La Spezia (, or , ; in the local Spezzino dialect) is the capital city of the province of La Spezia and is located at the head of the Gulf of La Spezia in the southern part of the Liguria region of Italy. La Spezia is the second largest city ...

for the remainder of the 2013–14 season. After starting out on the substitute bench, Henty then scored his first Spezia goal on 24 September 2013, in a 2–1 win over

Ternana Ternana Calcio, commonly referred to as Ternana, is an Italian football club based in Terni, Umbria. The club was founded in 1925 and refounded in 1993. In its history, Ternana has twice played in Serie A (in the 1972–73 and 1974–75 seas ...

. However, he struggled in the first team at Spezia and returned to his parent club, with just six appearances and scoring once. Shortly after the end of his loan spell at Spezia, Henty joined Lega Pro side

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

on loan for the rest of the season on 9 January 2014. Henty made his Perugia debut on 12 January 2014, coming on as a late substitute, in a 5–0 win over AS Gubbio. It wasn't until on 24 January 2014 when he scored again, in a 3–2 win over

Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the Province of Grosseto. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Maremma, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the Ombrone river. It is the m ...

. Although his playing time was reduced towards the end of the season, Henty played a role in the play-offs against

Virtus Entella Virtus Entella, commonly referred to as Entella, is an Italian professional football club based in Chiavari, Liguria. Founded in 1914, the club currently competes in the . History 1914: Foundation The club was founded in 1914 as Foot-Ball Club ...

when he scored in a 3–1 win to help the club gain promotion to

. At his time at Perugia, Henty went on to score 2 times in twelve appearances. In the summer of 2014, Henty was linked around Europe with a move to

Sivasspor Sivasspor Kulübü, known as Demir Grup Sivasspor due to sponsorship reasons, is a Turkish sports club based in Sivas. The primary department of the club is men's football. Formed in 1967, its football department competes in Süper Lig, as of 201 ...

and Vitória. Instead, Henty opted to join Slovenian side Gorica on loan on 29 August 2014. Two days later, on 31 August 2014, he made his Gorica debut, coming on as a second-half substitute, in a 2–1 loss against Rudar Velenje. It wasn't until on 29 September 2014 when he scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 win over Krka. He then scored again on 19 October 2014, in a 3–0 win over

Radomlje Radomlje (; german: Radomle''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in Državna Tiskarna, p. 28.) is a settlement on the left bank of the Kamnik Bistrica River north o ...

. However, he found himself on the sidelines when he suffered an injury in late October. Despite this, Henty went on to score two times in thirteen appearances for the side.

Olimpija Ljubljana

It was announced on 31 January 2015 that Henty joined Olimpija Ljubljana on loan for the rest of the season. It came after when he went on a trial at the club and his loan spell at Gorica ended. It was previously hinted that Henty was on a move to Turkey before joining Olimpija Ljubija. He made his Olimpija Ljubljana debut on 28 February 2015, in a 4–0 win over Radomlje. It wasn't until on 14 March 2015 when he scored his first goal for the club, in a 3–1 win over Gorica. Henty scored again on 4 April 2015, in a 3–1 win over

Zavrč Zavrč (, in order sources ''Zavrče'', german: Sauritsch) is a settlement in the Haloze area of Slovenia. It is the seat of the Municipality of Zavrč. It lies between the right bank of the Drava River and the border with Croatia. The area trad ...

. After adding two more goals, he went on to finish the season, making 14 appearances and scoring 4 times. In the summer transfer of 2015, Henty joined Olimpija Ljubljana on a permanent for a transfer fee of €150,000, signing a two-year contract. He then scored his first goals since joining the club, in a 4–1 win over

Koper Koper (; it, Capodistria, hr, Kopar) is the fifth largest city in Slovenia. Located in the Istrian region in the southwestern part of the country, approximately five kilometres () south of the border with Italy and 20 kilometres () from Triest ...

on 12 August 2015, followed up by scoring another brace in a 3–0 win over

Maribor Maribor ( , , , ; also known by other #Name, historical names) is the second-largest city in Slovenia and the largest city of the traditional region of Styria (Slovenia), Lower Styria. It is also the seat of the City Municipality of Maribor, th ...

four days later. In a 5–0 win over

Krško Krško (; german: Gurkfeld) is a town in eastern Slovenia. It is the seat of the City municipality of Krško. The town lies on the Sava River and on the northwest edge of the Krško Plain ( sl, Krško polje), which is part of the larger Krka Flat ...

on 4 October 2015, Henty set up two goals, which was then followed up by scoring a brace, in a 2–1 win over Koper. After missing out for one match, he scored again on 2 December 2015, in a 2–1 win over Zavrč. After making 22 appearances and scoring 9 times for the side, Henty was linked a move away from Olimpija Ljubljana in the January transfer window. As a result, the club began a contract negotiations with Henty, which they claimed the agreement is made in December 2015. Henty, himself, wanted to stay at the club to help the club win the league. However, the club accepted a bid from two Russian teams for €5.5 million, which is believed to be a record-breaking transfer for the club. After the move, Henty reflected on his departure, stating he stand by his decision.

Lokomotiv Moscow

It was confirmed on 19 February 2016 that Henty joined

Lokomotiv Moscow FC Lokomotiv Moscow (''FC Lokomotiv Moskva'', russian: link=no, Футбольный клуб "Локомотив" Москва, ) is a Russian professional football club based in Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москв ...

for €5.5 million, confirming a record-breaking transfer. Upon joining the club, Henty was given number 45 shirt instead of 10 shirt, which he initially opted for. Henty made his Lokomotiv Moscow debut on 6 March 2016, where he came on as a second-half substitute, in a 2–1 loss against

Terek Grozny Republican Football Club Akhmat ( ce, футболан клуб Ахмат Соьлжа-ГӀала; russian: Республиканский футбольный клуб Ахмат Грозный), commonly known as Akhmat Grozny, is a Russian ...

. After making his debut for the club, Henty said his target was to score 7–8 goals in ten matches. However, his time at Lokomotiv Moscow throughout the rest of the season was a disappointment, due to his failure to score goals as he did at Olimpija Ljubljana earlier this season despite being given more time to adapt at Russia. Despite making 10 appearances at the end of the 2015–16 season, Henty managed to redeem himself when he set up a goal for

Petar Škuletić Petar Škuletić ( sr-Cyrl, Петар Шкулетић; born 29 June 1990) is a Serbian former professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career Early years At the age of 14, Škuletić joined the youth system of Partizan. He was pr ...

, in a 3–0 win over

Mordovia Saransk FC Mordovia Saransk (russian: ФК Мордовия Саранск) is a Russian association football club from Saransk, Republic of Mordovia. In its current state it was formed in 2005, through the merge of Biokhimik-Mordovia and Lisma-Mordov ...

in the last game of the season. In the 2016–17 season, Henty continued to feature in the first team despite being on the substitute bench at the start of the season. He then scored his first goal for the club, in a 2–1 win over

Krasnodar Krasnodar (; rus, Краснода́р, p=krəsnɐˈdar; ady, Краснодар), formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern ...

on 28 August 2016. However, Henty continued to struggled in the first team and scoring goals, due to competitions from Aleksei Miranchuk and

Maicon Marques Maicon Marques Bitencourt (born 18 February 1990), simply known as Maicon, is a Brazilian footballer who plays as a winger. Club career Fluminense Born in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Maicon joined Fluminense's youth setup in 2001, aged 11 ...

. As a result, he was expected to leave the club in January over poor performance and his first team opportunities had become difficult for him to come by.

Baniyas SC (loan)

It was announced on 16 January 2017 that Henty would be loaned out to

UAE Arabian Gulf League The UAE Pro League ( ar, دوري المحترفين الإماراتي), known for sponsorship reasons as the ADNOC Pro League, is the top professional football league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The first team to win the title was Al O ...

side

Baniyas Baniyas ( ar, بَانِيَاس ') is a Mediterranean coastal city in Tartous Governorate, northwestern Syria, located south of Latakia (ancient Laodicea) and north of Tartous (ancient Tortosa). It is known for its citrus fruit orchards an ...

for the rest of the season. The move also included an option to sign Henty on a permanent basis. Henty made his Baniyas SC debut five days later on 21 January 2017 after signing for the club, starting the whole game, in a 4–3 loss against

Dibba Al-Fujairah Dibba Al-Fujairah ( ar, دبا الفجيرة) is a city in the emirate of Fujairah, located on the northeast part of the United Arab Emirates. It is geographically part of the Dibba region. Dibba Al-Fujairah is considered to be the second large ...

. It wasn't until on 3 March 2017 when he scored his first goal for the club, as well as, setting another goal, in a 4–3 loss against Al-Wasl. Six days later, on 9 March 2017, Henty scored twice, in a 6–2 loss against Al Wahda. After adding two more goals, the club was unsuccessful to survive in the

league League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

. At the end of the 2016–17 season, making 12 appearances and scoring five times for the side, Henty returned to his parent club.

Videoton

It was reported on 19 July 2017 that Henty moved to Hungarian side Videoton, signing a three-year contract. The fee was reported to be €1 million. Henty made his Videoton debut on 30 July 2017, starting the whole game, in a 2–2 draw against

Újpest Újpest (; german: Neu-Pest, en, New Pest) is the 4th District in Budapest, Hungary. It is located on the left bank of the Danube River. The name Újpest means "New Pest" because the city was formed on the border of the city of Pest, Hungary i ...

. He then scored his first goal for the club in a follow-up match on 6 August 2017, in a 2–0 win over Mezőkövesdi. Since joining the club, Henty quickly became the club's fan favourite, where he gave a shirt to a fan after the match. Between 21 October 2017 and 4 November 2017, he scored three goals in three matches against Puskás Akadémia, Újpest (in which he scored just 25 seconds into the match) and Mezőkövesdi. After the match against Újpest, Henty was subjected of racism from Újpest supporters following the end of the match. As a result, Újpest was fined for their role of racially abuse Henty.

Slovan Bratislava

On 24 January 2020, it was announced that Henty had reached an agreement on a permanent transfer with reigning Slovak

champions A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the Victory, victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and w ...

, Slovan Bratislava. His transfer was understood as a replacement for departing

Andraž Šporar Andraž Šporar (born 27 February 1994) is a Slovenian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Super League Greece club Panathinaikos and the Slovenia national team. Club career Olimpija Ljubljana In June 2012, Šporar transferred ...

, who had left for

Sporting CP Sporting Clube de Portugal, founded Sporting Club de Portugal (), otherwise referred to as Sporting CP, often known abroad as Sporting Lisbon , is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Lisbon. It is best known for the professional foot ...

earlier. On 11 August 2022, Henty joined

Apollon Limassol Apollon Limassol FC ( el, Απόλλων Λεμεσού, ''Apollon Lemesou'') is a Cypriot sports club, based in Limassol. It has football, basketball and volleyball teams. Founded in 1954, Apollon FC currently plays in the Cypriot First Divisi ...

in Cyprus on a season-long loan with an option to buy. After the end of his loan spell at Apollon Limassol, he returned to Slovan Bratislava.

Apollon Limassol

Henty joined

on a season-long loan on 11 August 2022. After 24 league appearances and 2 goals with the team, he returned to Slovan Bratislava at the end of the

2022–23 Cypriot First Division The 2022–23 Cypriot First Division is the 84th season of the Cypriot top-level football league. Competition system 14 teams will participate in the 2022–23 First Division. It will be conducted in two phases. In the first phase, all teams ...

AEL Limassol

On 25 August 2023, Henty signed for

AEL Limassol Athlitiki Enosi Lemesou ( el, Αθλητική Ένωση Λεμεσού, translation=Athletic Union of Limassol) commonly known as AEL, is a Cypriot sports club based in the city of Limassol, most famous for its football team. AEL also maintain ...

on a free transfer after terminating his contract with Slovan Bratislava. Rumors have been going around for the whole August and the player was seen training with the team before the official announcement of the transfer was made. He missed the first game of the

2023–24 Cypriot First Division The 2023–24 Cypriot First Division is the 85th season of the Cypriot top-level football league. Aris Limassol are the defending champions, having won their first title in the 2022–23 season. Changes from previous season ENP, Akritas Ch ...

but

managed to win away against Doxa Katokopias with 1-0. On 27 August 2023, he scored his first goal on his first appearance with the team in a win over AEZ Zakakiou with a score of 4-3 after coming from behind (AEZ was up 2-0 at the early stages of the game). On 2 September 2023 he scored his second goal for the team from the penalty spot, on his second game, in an awat defeat with 3-1 against Pafos FC in Paphos.

Club statistics

Personal life

Growing up, Henty said he idolised

George Weah George Tawlon Manneh Oppong Ousman Weah (; born 1 October 1966) is a Liberian politician and former professional footballer who is the incumbent president of Liberia, in office since 2018. Prior to his election to the presidency, Weah served a ...

. Henty revealed that he wasn't interested in football at first, preferring to focus on his education. This all changed when his mother, who is a football fan, convinced him to play football, having bought him footwear and equipment, which changed his passion. Henty speaks English, Italian, and some Russian. He has also revealed that he would accept a Slovenian citizenship if he was offered.

Honours

;Slovan Bratislava *

Fortuna Liga The Slovak Super Liga is the top level football league in Slovakia, currently known as the Fortuna Liga due to a sponsorship arrangement. It was formed in 1993 following the dissolution of Czechoslovakia. The record for most titles is eleven, ...

(2): 2019–20,

2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...

* Slovnaft Cup (2): 2019–20,

References

External links