Ekong says he retired so new youngsters can emerge during the forthcoming Nations Cup

SUPER Eagles skipper William Troost-Ekong said he is retiring from international football because he wants to make way for talented youngsters to come into the team during the forthcoming African Cup of Nations.

Later this month, Nigeria will participate in the African Cup of Nations, taking place in Morocco and Ekong had been one of the players invited to partake in the tournament. Yesterday, however, in a surprise development, Ekong, 32, announced his retirement from international football, saying he would no longer feature for Nigeria.

Born and raised in the Netherlands, Ekong said he would visit his father in Nigeria during the holidays but the idea of one day playing for and captaining the Super Eagles was so fanciful it did not cross his mind. However, he did manage to live this unbelievable dream and he pointed out that he had decided that the World Cup play-off against DR Congo would be his last match for Nigeria.

Bowing out with 83 caps and the pride of representing his country at the 2018 World Cup, Ekong said the memory of the loss to DR Congo is very powerful. In the dressing room afterwards, he told his team-mates that he was retiring, which made it an emotional end to an emotional night.

Ekong said: “You always want things to end perfectly and it's hard when you are watching the last minutes of the game. It felt like a blur. I remember sitting there and absorbing those last minutes because you know that could be it. To have that in a penalty shootout, my heart was pounding like crazy.

“It was heartbreaking but at the same time I felt really proud in that moment of everything we had achieved. To be there, as captain, was something I could not have dreamt of as a young kid.”

Of late, Ekong has had fitness issues, most notably undergoing hamstring surgery last year and he added that he felt that now was the right time to step aside. He also believes Nigeria’s next generation are ready to lead the Super Eagles.

Ekong added: “Now is the moment for them to claim that as the team is ready because we’ve got great leaders. I think there is a natural progression and there is an art in knowing when to step away. Selfishly, I would have loved to lift the Africa Cup of Nations and play at one more World Cup but the thing that has given me the most joy now is I get messages from young boys saying they want to play for the Super Eagles.

“There has never been a lack of talent, as Ademola Lookman went on to be African Player of the Year, which  is something. There are boys coming from London, Berlin, Amsterdam and all over Europe, coming home to represent Nigeria and that is only going to strengthen Nigerian football."

Ademola Lookman was born in Wandsworth, Ola Aina in Southwark and although Alex Iwobi was born in Lagos, he grew up in Newham and came through Arsenal’s academy. Tapping into that diaspora is something Ekong is passionate about and he hopes to one day help the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) with it.