Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong retires from international football on the eve of AFCON 2025
Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong has retired from international football, bringing an end to his ten-year run with the national team.
Despite being named in the Super Eagles provisional squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, the experienced defender has decided to bow out of international football.
Troost-Ekong, who currently plies his trade for Al-Kholood in the Saudi top-flight made his debut for the Super Eagles in 2015 and established himself as a key member of the team.
The 32-year-old centre-back made 83 appearances in his ten-year run with the Super Eagles, racking up eight goals across the period. He secured three medals and also featured at five major tournament for the national team.
His retirement is not surprising, having earlier hinted about potential exit from the national team after World Cup qualification setback.
“Honoured and 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” he wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Ekong’s last competitive start came in Nigeria’s 2–1 win over Lesotho, where he scored. However, he has played a reduced role recently, with Wilfred Ndidi wearing the armband and young defender Benjamin Fredrick rising quickly.
Since making his debut in 2015, Ekong has been a consistent pillar for Nigeria. He won AFCON bronze in 2019, made the Best XI in 2021, and captained the team to the 2023 AFCON final, where he was named Player of the Tournament.
