Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has confirmed his retirement from international football after a decade-long career with the Nigeria National team, a decision announced in an emotional statement on Thursday.
Troost-Ekong, via his official Instagram page, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to represent Nigeria, describing his journey as an honourable run, saying, “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,” Ekong wrote.
Prominent football journalist, Fabrizio Romano earlier disclosed the development on his official X handle on Thursday.
“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.
Troost-Ekong, who currently plays for Al-Kholood in the Saudi Pro League, was born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and Nigerian father.
After representing the Netherlands at the youth level, he committed his senior international future to Nigeria and made his debut on June 13, 2015, in an African Cup of Nation qualifying match against Chad.
His tally of five goals at the AFCON remains the highest scored by a defender in the history of the competition and will now stand as an unbroken record following his decision to step away from the team.
The defender scored eight goals in 83 appearances, with his final outing coming as a late substitute against Gabon on November 13.
His reduced role in recent months came as he dropped down the pecking order behind Benjamin Fredrick in Chelle’s defensive plans.
Troost-Ekong was included in Nigeria’s provisional 54-man squad for the forthcoming AFCON in Morocco in December, and the final list is expected to be trimmed to 28 players.
The squad is due to begin camp in Egypt on December 10 ahead of the tournament’s start on December 21.
