- Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has dismissed complacency ahead of Nigeria’s final AFCON 2025 qualifier against Rwanda
- Despite already securing qualification, Troost-Ekong stressed the match's importance for tactical preparation for AFCON 2025 and World Cup qualifiers
- The 31-year-old captain also addressed retirement speculations, confirming his focus on upcoming tournaments before making a decision
In the world of football, leadership and commitment are as important as skill, and Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong exemplifies both.
Ahead of Nigeria’s final Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 qualifier against Rwanda, the 31-year-old defender has promised fans a display of core professionalism, despite Nigeria already securing their spot in the tournament.
The Super Eagles, who finished as runners-up in the 2023 AFCON, secured their qualification with a 1-1 draw against the Republic of Benin. However, Troost-Ekong dismissed any notion of complacency, emphasising the importance of using this game as preparation for future challenges.
“We’ve qualified, and I think there’s been a lot of concern about whether we’ll take the game seriously, but all of us would have been happy to qualify with two games in hand.
“We are here now. We can’t change the situation, but we are going to take the game very seriously,” the defender added.
The Nigeria-Rwanda clash at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo is set to be a tactical match and with Nigeria set to face Rwanda again during the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, they will be eager to take this match seriously and understudy the Rwanda team.
Reflecting on their previous encounter, Ekong praised Rwanda’s resilience and their goalkeeper’s heroics,
“As we said before, Rwanda is a good team. When we faced them in Rwanda, it was a difficult game. The goalkeeper played exceptionally well, and we had the best chances to win that game,” Troost-Ekong recounted.
As one of the team’s senior figures, Troost-Ekong also took time to address lingering questions about his potential retirement from international football. Despite being just 31, he is the oldest player in the current squad, ahead of Moses Simon (29) and Alex Iwobi (28).
“It’s a question I get asked a lot by Nigerians, but I think it’s a bit too early, I am playing my best football in recent years. We are only talking about 12 months from now, so after that, we’ll see.”
Troost-Ekong stressed that the decision would not be his alone but would depend on whether he remained an asset to the team. For now, his sights are set on the AFCON in 2025 and the World Cup in 2026.
“Once I feel I am no longer an asset to the team, I will have that discussion,” he further explained.
With kick-off scheduled for 5 p.m. Nigerian time, the Super Eagles aim to close their qualifiers on a high note. Troost-Ekong, who could add to his 75 international caps, is determined to lead his team to victory.
Super Eagles withdraw from AFCON qualifier after 12-hour airport ordeal in Libya
Previously, TheRadar reported that the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) had made the difficult decision to withdraw the Super Eagles from their crucial 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Libya.
This decision followed a distressing 12-hour ordeal at Al Abraq International Airport, where the Nigerian team were stranded with no assistance from local authorities. The situation quickly escalated into a diplomatic nightmare, leaving players and officials frustrated as they were abandoned in a strange Libya environment.
