Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 32.
The defender confirmed his decision in a post shared on Instagram on Thursday, officially ending his 10-year career with the Nigerian national team.
“Honoured. Grateful. Forever a Super Eagle. Playing for Nigeria has been the greatest privilege of my life,” he wrote. “The journey may end here, but my support never will. Here’s to the next chapter.”
Troost-Ekong made 83 appearances for the Super Eagles after making his debut under the late coach Stephen Keshi in a 2-0 win against Chad in 2015.
His retirement comes just two days after he was included in Nigeria’s 54-man provisional squad for the 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), set to kick off in Morocco on December 21.
Born in the Netherlands, Ekong represented the Dutch at youth level before switching allegiance to Nigeria. He featured at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and played a key leadership role in the team from 2021. He also helped Nigeria win bronze at the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.
The former Watford and PAOK defender says he will continue to support the Super Eagles even though his playing days with the team are now over.
