Adaramola Yemiblak
December 4, 2025William Troost-Ekong announces retirement from international football
William Troost-Ekong announces retirement from international football
Nigeria defender and captain William Troost-Ekong has officially announced his retirement from international football after 10 years of service with the Super Eagles.
Troost-Ekong, who has 83 caps for Nigeria and was named in coach Eric Chelle’s 54-man provisional squad ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), made the announcement in a post on his Instagram handle on Thursday.
The Al-Kholood defender expressed gratitude to have represented the three-time African champions, assuring that although the journey ends, the support continues.
“HONOURED. GRATEFUL. FOREVER A SUPER EAGLE.
Playing for Nigeria has been the greatest privilege of my life. The journey may end here, but my support never will.
Here’s to the next chapter.”
View this post on Instagram
Troost-Ekong made his senior international debut for the Super Eagles in June 2015, playing 90 minutes in an AFCON qualifying match against Chad, after representing the Netherlands at under-19 and under-20 youth levels.
He made three starts for the senior team in 2016 before being selected for Nigeria’s Under-23 team in their 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Olympic Games where he helped them win bronze.
In June 2018, he was named in Nigeria’s 23-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and was named in the 23-man squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, where he scored an 89th-minute winner against South Africa to send his team through to the semifinals on the way to a third place finish.
He captained Nigeria at the delayed 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, and was named in the tournament Technical Study Group’s Best XI of the group stage, scoring against Guinea-Bissau. Nigeria went on to be knocked out by Tunisia in the following round.
During the 2022 World Cup qualification third round, he scored a penalty in the second leg match against Ghana, which ended in a 1–1 draw and a defeat on the away goals rule. Consequently, his nation failed to reach the main tournament in Qatar.
His tally of five goals at the AFCON is the current record for the highest number of goals scored by a defender in AFCON history.
⚽ Follow Pan-Africa Football across platforms for real-time news and stories.
