Super Eagles captain Ekong reveals why he chose Nigeria over Netherlands

• Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong switched his international allegiance from the Netherlands
• Ekong played a few games for the Dutch youth teams before deciding to represent his father's country
• About 10 years later, the Al-Kholood defender has reflected on his decision and has no reason to regret it

Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has reflected on his decision to represent his father's country, Nigeria, over the country of his birth, the Netherlands.

Ekong was one of the dual national players who opted to play for the Super Eagles in the past 15 years when the Nigerian Football Federation intensified efforts to poach them.

Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong playing for Nigeria against South Africa at AFCON 2023. Photo by MB Media.
Source: Getty Images

He made his decision at 21 and has been one of the team's best and most consistent players, becoming the captain about three years ago at AFCON 2021.

Ekong explains Nigeria decision

It has been about 10 years since he took the bold step, and he has not only become an integral part of the national team but has also integrated into Nigerian culture wholly.

Speaking to the Sports Afterparty Podcast, the Harlem-born defender explained the circumstances surrounding his decision to play for the Super Eagles.

He admitted he was blown away by the call from the late Stephen Keshi, who was the manager at that time, after his breakout season in the Eredivisie.

“Just at the start of the season, I had played for the Dutch U19 and U20 squads, but there was no real perspective yet for the first team,” he said.

He added that his path was filled with few options, as in the case of Michael Olise, who was eligible for four countries, including Nigeria, Algeria, France, and England.

“This was the only tangible option that I had,” he said. “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…“...who were kind of going through a transition stage where a lot of their defenders that time were a little bit older, so I knew that they wanted to make some changes there.”

The former Udinese defender admitted that being an international at 21 fascinated him, and he believed it would give him a career, which he did; he has some of his best moments with the national team because of Nigerians' love for football.

According to IFFHS, he has the most goals at AFCON by a defender, with five, and the most at a single tournament, with three. The captain is also in contention for the CAF Men's Player of the Year after winning the Best Player award at AFCON 2023.

Ekong shares Super Eagles' target

Legit.ng reported that Ekong shared Super Eagles' target ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers match day five encounter against Benin Republic in Ivory Coast.

The team needs a point to qualify for AFCON 2025, and there are concerns from Nigerians that there will be complacency, which the captain allayed fears about and said the team would fight for three points.

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Source: Legit.ng