Nigeria’s national team captain, William Troost-Ekong, has officially announced his retirement from international football, bringing an end to a distinguished 10-year career with the Super Eagles.
The 31-year-old defender confirmed the decision in an emotional message shared on Instagram on Thursday, expressing deep gratitude for the chance to represent his fatherland and describing the experience as the highest honour of his professional career.
He also assured fans that, although his time on the field has come to an end, his loyalty to the national team remains firm.
“Honoured. Grateful. Forever a Super Eagle. Playing for Nigeria has been the greatest privilege of my life,” Ekong said.
“The journey may end here, but my support never will. Here’s to the next chapter.”
His announcement followed shortly after renowned transfer journalist, Fabrizio Romano, revealed the development on social media platform X, noting that Troost-Ekong bows out after 83 appearances, three international medals and participation in five major tournaments.
“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.
Currently on the books of Al-Kholood in the Saudi Pro League, Troost-Ekong was born in the Netherlands to a Nigerian father and a Dutch mother.
He initially represented the Netherlands at youth level before pledging his senior international future to Nigeria.
He made his Super Eagles debut on June 13, 2015, in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad and went on to become one of the most consistent figures in the squad.
With five goals scored at the Africa Cup of Nations, he holds the record for the highest number of goals by a defender in the history of the competition , a mark that now stands sealed following his retirement.
Across 83 international appearances, the centre-back scored eight goals for Nigeria. His final match in national colours came as a late substitute in a fixture against Gabon on November 13.
Bayern Munich came from behind to beat Stuttgart at the Allianz Arena and win the…
Pitstop Lagos on Sunday launched its maiden triathlon competition with a N1.5 million star prize,…
Erling Haaland scored a second-half winner at the Etihad, meaning Pep Guardiola’s City will top…
Liverpool have scored six 90th-minute winners against Everton in the Premier League....
The Madrid Open starts on Tuesday, with Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic also having pulled…
It was revealed last week that an American consortium were on the verge of securing…
This website uses cookies.