Social media star William Akio has become Ross County’s 10th summer signing.
The 23-year-old striker has signed a three-year deal with the Staggies after joining the club from Canadian Premier League side Valour FC.
The striker made international headlines a week ago after denying his own team a certain goal during a Canadian Premier League match against HFX Wanderers by making a bizarre goal-line clearance.
Akio is the brother of midfielder Victor Loturi who joined the club earlier in the window and has scored 10 goals in 43 games for Valour, his first professional club.
Akio has his own YouTube channel with more than 30,000 subscribers, but it is his footballing ability which prompted Ross County to bring him to Scotland for an undisclosed fee.
County boss Malky Mackay said, “William is a player we have been tracking for a number of months and we are delighted to bring him to Dingwall.
“He has performed consistently and regularly at Valour FC and although he is still learning, he is an exciting addition to our group.
“William is an ambitious and driven player, and we look forward to developing him further in his time with us.”
Valour coach urges Akio to grasp his chance in Scotland
Valour head coach and general manager Phillip Dos Santos said: “It was a hard decision for us as a club, but we see it as a great opportunity for the next player in line, and an opportunity for Willy to grow as a player.
“We wish him the best of luck in the next stage of his career.”
County move is next step for Akio
Akio discussed his move to Scotland on his YouTube channel.
In his video, he and his agent Josh Carabatsakis discussed the move to the Staggies and it is clear Akio regards his deal with County as an important step towards his dream of making an impact in European football.
He said: “I am excited. I’ve had to keep this a secret for a little bit.
“I’ve always set goals for myself. When I was 17 or 18 I set myself the target of signing a professional contract by the age of 22 and I did that at Valour.
“By 27 I have goals to hit my prime and sign a massive deal in Europe and I’m on my way. This is the beginning steps for me.
“It has been my dream to go to Europe and I’m super excited to see what life has in store for me.
“You’ve got Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen, some top world-class teams and I’m super excited to get started.
“I think I was meant for this, to play the sport at the highest level possible.”
Despite his move to Scotland Akio hopes – with County’s permission – to continue to share his story of life in the Premiership with his followers on social media.
He said: “This is just the beginning for me. I’m someone who stays humble in the sport and works super hard.
“Sometimes I struggle with patience and tolerance but I know where I want to go to and I have to keep my head down and work towards it.
“I want to continue doing YouTube and funny videos but I want to make sure I’m performing, working hard and doing the right things.
“I will continue to do the vlogs and video game stuff, giving you the inside scoops, but I will be respectful to the club.”
Before joining Valour FC, the forward represented the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros from 2018 to 2021, scoring 18 goals and providing 14 assists in three seasons with the club.
The Calgary native has made four appearances for the South Sudan national team during his time at Valour.