Super Eagles’ Captain, William Troost-Ekong, who announced his international retirement on Thursday, has explained that he decided to leave the stage because he felt it was the right time to quit.

Ekong, who is one of the 55 players listed by Coach Eric Chelle in his provisional squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, which begins this month in Morocco, said the pressure in representing Nigeria in international football “was a privilege,” adding that quitting the scene was a decision he had battled with for some time.’

There were insinuations that Troost-Ekong may have been forced to quit the team over the role he played as captain when the Super Eagles went on strike to press for unpaid allowances dating to 2019. The former Tottenham academy player made no reference to that incident. Rather, he said in an interview published by skysports.com that “it feels like a chapter is closing. But I also feel happy, I feel proud. I’ve had such a great run with the Super Eagles to be part of the team for over 10 years.

“It’s been such a big part of my identity, something I’ve been so proud of. Just to be part of the team is one of the biggest honours that I’ve had in my life so far.

“For me to grow into becoming a captain of the team is something that I couldn’t have even imagined at the start of it. It’s bittersweet, but it just felt like the right time for me.”

His time with the national team was a rollercoaster. There were highs interlinked with the lows, along with doubts and disagreements. Troost-Ekong was part of a Nigeria team that earned a bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics before achieving third place at the 2021 AFCON.

In 2023, he led Nigeria to the AFCON final as captain, becoming the competition’s highest-scoring defender ever while also being named Player of the Tournament. A career highlight, scoring in the final to open the scoring, became a low, shipping two goals to hosts Ivory Coast, and losing as favourites for the competition.

Despite defeat in the AFCON final in 2023, Troost-Ekong was named Player of the Tournament
“It feels surreal,” Troost-Ekong says as he describes the feeling of dragging his nation to an AFCON final.

“I think maybe because I already had the first thoughts about stopping at that time. I was probably more emotional. I wasn’t in the best relationship with the coach that we had at the time, even though we made up afterwards and I went to the tournament.

“So to be there, I was just trying to enjoy it as much as I could because I kind of said to myself, ‘this would be my last tournament’.

“It wasn’t until we finished the tournament, and I thought, wow, that was something really special to be a part of. And I think I managed to show my best version and lead the team as well as I could.”

“It’s difficult to do because there are so many moving parts, whether it’s the manager, whether it’s within the federation, or of course, the fans who want the best for the team and are so passionate, which is also the beauty of Nigerian football.”

“It can be a lot sometimes. So, I think you just try to create a circle around the team and you treat that as a family.”