Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong has announced his retirement from international football after a decade with the Super Eagles in an emotional statement released Thursday.
Writing on Instagram, he expressed thanks for the opportunity to represent Nigeria, characterizing it as the greatest privilege of his career and reaffirming that, while his time on the pitch has come to an end, his support for the team will continue as he looks forward to the next chapter.
“Honored. 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 confirmation came just minutes after football transfer writer Fabrizio Romano revealed 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.
Troost-Ekong, who plays for Al-Kholood in the Saudi Pro League, was born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and a Nigerian father.
He represented the Netherlands at the youth level before committing to Nigeria and making his senior international debut on June 13, 2015, in an AFCON qualifying match against Chad.
His tally of five goals at the AFCON is the most scored by a defender in the history of the competition and will now stand as an unbroken record following his choice to step away from the team.
The defender scored eight goals in 83 games, his last coming as a late substitute against Gabon on November 13.
The Nigerian captain featured prominently under head coach Eric Chelle recently and was an unused substitute in the decisive World Cup play-off loss to DR Congo, a defeat that confirmed Nigeria’s failure to reach the tournament.
In recent months, he has played a less role in Chelle’s defensive strategy, falling below Benjamin Fredrick in the pecking order.
Troost-Ekong was included in Nigeria’s provisional 54-man squad for the upcoming AFCON in Morocco in December, with the final list set to be reduced to 28 players.
The squad is scheduled to begin training in Egypt on December 10 ahead of the tournament’s start on December 21.
