Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has announced his retirement from international football, a decision that comes just weeks before the African Cup of Nations begins in Morocco on December 21.
Ekong made the announcement in a video posted on his Instagram page on Thursday. The 32 year old said, “Today, I am announcing my retirement from international football,” adding that his journey with the Eagles “ends here” as he prepares to embrace a new chapter in his career.
He also expressed pride in returning to Nigeria to represent the nation despite being born in the Netherlands. He described his experience as an honour, saying he was glad to be part of a group that proved it was possible to come home and play for the country.
Ekong added that the time had come to hand over responsibility, opportunity and the captaincy to the next generation of players.
His announcement comes less than 48 hours after he was included in Eric Chelle’s 54 man provisional squad for AFCON. The defender had featured for the Netherlands at youth level but switched allegiance to Nigeria, where he made his senior debut in 2015 during an AFCON qualifier against Chad.
He represented Nigeria at the 2018 World Cup in Russia and later became one of the team’s leaders in 2021. He won bronze with the Eagles at the 2019 AFCON and produced some of his biggest performances at the 2024 edition in Côte d’Ivoire, scoring three goals including a header in the final. He was named the tournament’s best player.
Ekong made 83 appearances for Nigeria in a decade long spell and scored eight goals.
