Nigeria international William Troost-Ekong is determined as ever to make his countrymen proud.
The defender, who has 42 international caps to his name, has played for the West African giants in the Olympic Games, FIFA World Cup and African Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Troost-Ekong was picked in the Nigeria squad by Coach Gernot Rohr for friendly matches against Algeria and Tunisia on October 13
The new Watford player was born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and he believes he made the right choice to play for the country of his father’s birth.
“Even my Dutch family are really proud. It means a lot to them for me to represent such a big nation. It’s massive,” Troost-Ekong told the club’s official website.
“Hopefully I get to do it some more. The last few games, yeah I’ve been made captain.
“I’ve always been quite vocal and a leader in the team. We’ve had some great captains in Ahmed Musa, who is still officially our captain and John Obi Mikel before that.”
Troost-Ekong played once for the Netherlands Under-19s and twice for the Under-20s.
Before switching his allegiance to Nigeria and winning his first cap as a 21-year-old in a 2-0 win over Chad in 2015.
“I always try and learn from these guys and push the team in the right direction,” he added.
“It’s a really big thing for me. I started my international career with the Dutch younger teams, but as soon as I heard about Nigeria wanting me to play for them, I jumped at the chance.
“I’ve never looked back. It was a special moment to play for Nigeria as I know how much it means to the people. I feel it’s my way of giving back to a country that has given me so much.”
The 27-year-old recently joined English Championship side Watford from Italian Serie A club Udinese.
