Skip to main content

Premier League cult hero Wilfried Bony signs for new club after year without team

Former Manchester City star Wilfried Bony has finally found a new club - over 500 days after he last played and almost a year on from training with League Two side Newport County

Former Premier League star Wilfried Bony has finally ended his year-long exile from the game after penning a deal with Dutch outfit NEC Nijmegen.


The Ivorian striker became a cult hero during his time in England following spells with Swansea and Manchester City.


But the 33-year-old has been without a club since a brief stint in Saudi Arabia came to an end back in 2020.


Bony hit the headlines in January of last year when it emerged that he'd been training with League Two side Newport County in a desperate bid to get fit enough to find another club.

And Bony's dogged determination looks to have finally paid off after he put an end to his 505-day exile from the game by joining NEC.

Wilfried Bony has ended his agonising spell without a club after signing for Eredivisie outfit NEC Nijmegen
Wilfried Bony has ended his agonising spell without a club after signing for Eredivisie outfit NEC Nijmegen
READ MORE: Three signings Arsenal could still make before January transfer window slams shutREAD MORE: Liverpool to sign Luis Diaz in £37.5m deal after hijacking Tottenham move

The move will see Bony head back to the Eredivisie - where he was crowned as the league's top scorer after netting 31 goals in 30 games for Vitesse Arnhem back in the 2012/13 campaign. He was also named as the Dutch Footballer of the Year before Swansea swooped for his services.

After a stunning two years in Wales, Manchester City snapped Bony up in a £25million deal. But he flopped at the Etihad and only managed six goals across 36 Premier League appearances.

A loan spell and a temporary return to Swansea followed before Bony went overseas without any real success.


Who do you think is your club's biggest cult hero? Let us know in the comments section.

Wilfried Bony enjoyed stints in the Premier League with Swansea and Manchester City
Wilfried Bony enjoyed stints in the Premier League with Swansea and Manchester City

But he's eager to make up for lost time and banish his Saudi nightmare with NEC.


"I am happy to join NEC," Bony told the NEC website.

"After Ted van Leeuwen, with whom I have always maintained good contact, asked me to work in Nijmegen, I made a well-considered decision to sign for NEC.

"After the termination of my contract in Saudi Arabia, I was not ready to quit football.


"In the Netherlands, I had a good time and I am very happy that I get the chance to play in the Eredivisie.

"While I am aware that this is a sensitive switch for some, I expect to get a fair chance to present myself in a positive way to our supporters.

Article continues below

"I'm going to do everything I can to get match fit as soon as possible so that I can be important to the team quickly."

READ MORE: Barcelona's leaked kit for 2022/23 dubbed 'future classic' as fans swoon over new stripREAD MORE: Man Utd have saved over £14million as Anthony Martial fails to activate add-on clauses
Follow Daily Star:



Premier LeagueSwansea City FCManchester City FCEredivisie
reach logo

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the saleor sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Privacy Notice.