“Why I chose to play for Super Eagles” – William Troost-Ekong

• The individual revealed that a phone call from late coach Stephen Keshi and the prospect of international football at age 21 influenced his decision to represent Nigeria.

• The Al-Kholood defender, in an interview with the Sports Afterparty Podcast, highlighted the pivotal moment in his career when he was offered a chance to play for Nigeria.

William Troost-Ekong, the captain of the Super Eagles, has shared insights regarding his choice to represent Nigeria instead of the Netherlands, his country of birth.

He attributed his decision to a pivotal phone call from the late coach Stephen Keshi, along with the opportunity to engage in international football at the age of 21.

During an appearance on the Sports Afterparty Podcast, the Al-Kholood defender elaborated that the chance to play for Nigeria arose at a significant juncture in his career.

He noted that when the invitation to join Nigeria’s senior national team was extended, he lacked substantial prospects within the Netherlands senior squad.

He stated, “Just at the start of the season, I had played for the Dutch U19 and U20 squads, but there was no real perspective yet for the first team.”

“The choice was between trying to progress and later in my career maybe have a chance to play for the Netherlands or have a chance now to play for the Super Eagles, who were kind of going through a transition stage where a lot of their defenders at that time were a little bit older, so I knew that they wanted to make some changes there.”

Now 30 years old, Troost-Ekong has emerged as one of Nigeria’s most reliable players since his debut a decade ago, solidifying his role as a key member of the team and temporarily taking on the captaincy three years ago during AFCON 2021.

As reported by IFFHS, the Harlem-born player holds the record for the most goals scored by a defender at AFCON, totaling five, with three of those goals achieved in a single tournament. His outstanding performances have led to a nomination for the CAF Men’s Player of the Year award, following his recognition as the Best Player at AFCON 2023.

Ahead of the upcoming 2025 AFCON qualifier against Benin Republic in Ivory Coast, the Super Eagles captain addressed concerns regarding potential complacency, emphasizing that Nigeria requires only a point to secure qualification for the tournament in Morocco.

“The match is not going to be an easy one because the Beninoise are also chasing a ticket to the final tournament. However, our objective is clear: three points on the night,” he stated.