Ekong Retires After 10 Years of Illustrious Super Eagles Career

Duro Ikhazuagbe

Super Eagles Captain, William Troost-Ekong, 32, has called time on his illustrious international career with Nigeria.

The Al Kholood centre back in the Saudi Arabia Pro League, made 83 appearances for the Nigerian senior team after he was handed his debut by the late Stephen Keshi in a 2-0 win over Chad in 2015. As a defender, Troost-Ekong scored nine goals for Nigeria.

Troost-Ekong made a post on his Instagram account on Thursday to announce his retirement from the Super Eagles.

He began: ““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,” observed the former Watford defender before following up with a montage images of his Super Eagles career.

Hints of Troost-Ekong’s likely exit from the Super Eagles have been on towards the tail end of Nigeria’s failed attempts to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The moment Super Eagles handlers began to use him sparingly in key matches gave indications that the the last of the “Oyinbo Wall” was about to take a bow. Another foreign-born Nigerian, Leon Balogun, had paired Ekong in Eagles central back famously hailed as the “Oyinbo Wall” by the local media.

And the failure of the team he led to win both the direct ticket or the playoffs ticket to the 2026 World Cup Intercontinental playoffs next March in Mexico, was the immediate cause of Troost-Ekong’s departure from the team.

In a lengthy emotional post, the Dutch-born defender, recalled how the late Coach Stephen Keshi’s phone call, inviting him to the Super Eagles kicked off his service to his fatherland.

“In 2015 a phone call from the late Stephen Keshi changed my life. A month later the Big Boss gave me my debut. His belief in me ignited a desire to follow in his footsteps,” recalled the player who will later be capped 83 times, played in five major tournaments, won three medals and broke a few records.

He insisted that he has lived his dream.

“A bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, followed by playing at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and three incredible AFCON tournaments with a bronze and most recently silver medal will remain unforgettable,” wrote Troost-Ekong in that social media farewell post.

The Super Eagles supremo continued: “ Being able to lead Nigeria through the 2023 AFCON, scoring in the final and being named Player of the Tournament was something special. To this day, I still wish for a different ending. Becoming the highest-scoring defender in AFCON history is an honour I share with every teammate who was a part of those moments. That tournament taught me what It truly means to be Nigerian; That in adversity, we come together, we hustle , we fight through the pain and we rise.”

Troost-Ekong insisted that he knew that as Captain of the Super Eagles he would certainly relinquish the arm band to another player one day. “ It has been fun to play alongside my Nigerian teammates, building something great together. Watching them grow into leaders, time has come to pass on the responsibility, to pass on the opportunity and pass on the Captaincy. As a custodian of an iconic shirt, I’ve always known it was only borrowed. Now, it is the turn of the next generation to continue to write their own story.”

He stressed that he remains very proud to be part of the diaspora born generation that fully showed its possible to come home to play and represent our nation.

Although Troost-Ekong would still have loved to lift the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) (in Morocco) and play at one more World Cup before quitting the Super Eagles, insisted that what gives him the most joy now is getting messages from young boys, saying they want to play for the Super Eagles.

The former Watford defender tipped the Super Eagles to win the AFCON tournament in Morocco while promising to keep supporting the team.

“This isn’t a final goodbye. My work within Nigerian communities continues, just as my love and passion for this team will never fade,”

Troost-Ekong was born in Haarlem, The Netherlands to a Dutch mother, Eleanore Troost and a Nigerian father. He represented The Netherlands at the

U19 and U20 youth levels before choosing to switch over to Nigeria .

He made his senior international debut for the Super Eagleson 13 June 2015, playing 90 minutes in an AFCON qualifying match against Chad. His outing against Gabon in the 2026 World Cup African Playoffs in Rabat, Morocco is now his last outing for Nigeria, bringing an end to his 10-year association with the national team.