Benoit Assou-Ekotto is a professional football player of Cameroonian descent, who was born on March 24, 1984 in Arras, France. His relative, Mathieu Assou-Ekotto, is also a footballer, playing for the Belgian club, Royal Excelsior Mouscron.
Between 2003 and 2006, Benoit Assou-Ekotto built his football skills at the Racing Club de Lens, a French football club. He made his debut for the Lens’ at the Ligue 1 in a match against the Paris Saint-Germain Football Club (FC) on March 28, 2004. He performed well and helped his club win the game with a 1-0 score. Being a talented versatile defender, Benoit Assou-Ekotto is capable of playing in the left-back position, both on the left side of the central midfield and left midfield. This aspect of his play is an asset, which gives coaches’ who train him the flexibility to use him as per the requirement on the pitch. He has been a key player in 34 of Lens’ 38 league games at the 2005-06 Ligue 1 Championnat, which is the top division of French and Monegasque football. Having proved his consistency in 66 appearances for the Racing Club de Lens, Benoit Assou-Ekotto joined the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club in the summer of 2006. His compensation package is an undisclosed fee believed to be in the range of £3.5 million.
In December 2006, he sustained injuries, which disrupted his seasons at the Spurs and is expected to contribute to his club in the 2008-09 season. As of the year 2008, Benoit Assou-Ekotto has appeared in 19 matches for the Tottenham Hotspur FC.
