Dare Babalola
Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong has confirmed his retirement from international football after a decade with the Super Eagles, announcing the decision in an emotional statement on Thursday.
In the post on his official X page, the 32-year old skipper wrote, “HONOURED. GRATEFUL. FOREVER A SUPER EAGLE.
“Playing for Nigeria has been the greatest privilege of my life. The journey may end here, but my support never will.
“Here’s to the next chapter.”
His confirmation came minutes after football transfer reporter Fabrizio Romano disclosed the development.
“William Troost-Ekong has decided to retire from international football and won’t play for Nigeria again. After 83 caps, 3 medals and playing in 5 major tournaments, Troost-Ekong says goodbye to the Super Eagles,” Romano wrote on X.
After featuring for the Netherlands at U19 and U20 levels, William Troost-Ekong ultimately committed his international future to Nigeria. He debuted for the Super Eagles on 13 June 2015, completing the full match in an AFCON qualifier against Chad.
Following three senior appearances in 2016, he was later drafted into Nigeria’s under-23 provisional squad for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Two years later, in June 2018, he earned a place in Nigeria’s 23-man roster for the FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Troost-Ekong returned for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, delivering one of the standout moments of the tournament for Nigeria by scoring an 89th-minute winner against South Africa, a goal that propelled the Eagles into the semi-finals. Nigeria eventually finished third.
He captained the team at the postponed 2021 AFCON and was selected in the tournament’s Technical Study Group Best XI for the group stage, having also scored against Guinea-Bissau. Nigeria’s run, however, ended in the round of 16 following a defeat to Tunisia.
During the final round of qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Troost-Ekong scored from the spot in the second leg against Ghana, though the 1–1 result meant Nigeria missed out on Qatar due to the away-goals rule.
On 29 December 2023, he was named in Nigeria’s 25-man squad for the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast. He converted a decisive penalty in the group-stage victory over the hosts and struck again from the spot in the semi-final against South Africa, later adding another during the penalty shootout. In the final, he opened the scoring for Nigeria in what ultimately became a 2–1 loss to Ivory Coast. His performances throughout the competition earned him the Player of the Tournament award.
With five career AFCON goals, Troost-Ekong currently holds the record for the highest number of goals scored by a defender in the tournament’s history.
