William Troost-Ekong, captain of Nigeria’s Super Eagles, opened up about his decision to play for Nigeria instead of the Netherlands, where he was born and started his football career.
The defender, currently with Saudi club Al-Kholood, shared that a pivotal phone call from the late Nigerian coach Stephen Keshi at age 21 helped steer him toward representing Nigeria. Keshi’s encouragement and the opportunity to start playing international football at a young age made him re-evaluate his options.
Reflecting on this choice during an appearance on the Sports Afterparty Podcast, Troost-Ekong described the turning point as “just at the start of the season” when he had played for Dutch youth teams, including U19 and U20. However, he felt his path to the Netherlands’ senior team was uncertain.
“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,” he said, acknowledging that Nigeria was rebuilding its defense and needed younger players.
Troost-Ekong made his Super Eagles debut a decade ago and has since become a key figure, assuming the captaincy in 2021 during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
His achievements include setting the record for the most goals scored by a defender at AFCON, with five in total. His solid performances even earned him a nomination for the CAF Men’s Player of the Year award.
Ahead of Nigeria’s upcoming AFCON qualifier against Benin, Troost-Ekong dismissed any thoughts of overconfidence. With Nigeria needing just one point to secure a place in the 2025 tournament, he emphasized that “three points on the night” remain their goal.
