Nigeria’s skipper, William Troost-Ekong, has officially drawn the curtain on his international career, bringing an end to ten years of service with the Super Eagles.
The defender made the announcement on Thursday through an emotional post on Instagram, where he thanked Nigerians for trusting him with the honour of wearing the green and white. He described representing the country as the highest privilege of his journey in football and noted that although he is stepping away from the pitch, his loyalty to the national team remains intact.
“Honoured. Grateful. Forever a Super Eagle. Playing for Nigeria has been the greatest privilege of my life,” he wrote. “The journey may end here, but my support never will. Here’s to the next chapter.”
His message came shortly after football journalist Fabrizio Romano revealed the news on X, confirming that the centre-back had chosen to end his time with the national team after 83 appearances, three medals and participation in five major tournaments.
Troost-Ekong, currently on the books of Al-Kholood in the Saudi Pro League, was born in the Netherlands to a Nigerian father and Dutch mother. After representing the Dutch youth sides, he switched allegiance to Nigeria and made his senior debut on June 13, 2015 in an AFCON qualifier against Chad.
He leaves with a remarkable legacy. His five AFCON goals remain the highest ever scored by a defender in the competition’s history, a record that now stands unchallenged following his retirement. Overall, he scored eight times for Nigeria, with his last appearance coming in November in the friendly against Gabon.
In recent months, Ekong’s influence in the team had reduced. Head coach Eric Chelle favoured younger options like Benjamin Fredrick, and the former captain was an unused substitute in the World Cup play-off defeat to DR Congo, a loss that ended Nigeria’s qualification hopes.
Despite being named in Nigeria’s provisional 54-man squad for the upcoming AFCON in Morocco, Ekong will not feature as he steps aside before the final 28-man list is confirmed. The squad will open camp in Egypt on December 10 ahead of the tournament’s kickoff on December 21.
With his exit, the Super Eagles lose one of their most experienced figures at a crucial moment as Chelle finalises his plans for the championship.
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