Udinese of Italy defender, William Troost-Ekong has recalled how delighted he was being part of the Nigerian team that qualified for the 2018 World Cup in front of football fans in the ancestral city of his father, Uyo, as it made him feel truly as home and concretised the motivation he had in deciding to commit his international future to Nigeria, megasportsarena.com reports.
It came just over two years after he switched nationality from the country of his birth, Holland, to don Nigeria’s green-and-white jersey at full senior level, and Troost-Ekong said he was thrilled with the opportunity of playing in the city his father always told him was the place of his origin.
The 26-year-old defender, who was part of Nigeria’s under-23 squad that won bronze at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Jenairo, Brazil and has grown to become an assistant captain in the Eagles, added that he now has some high points as well as low ones in 42 appearances for the squad coached by Franco-German tactician, Gernot Rohr, with two goals to show.
He recounted how he made his debut on June 13, 2015 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Chad, after which he grew in leaps and bounds to feature in 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia and at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, where he hit his all-time high so far with a crucial late winner against South Africa.
His low points, though, came also at AFCON 2019, as he scored an own goal in the semi-final loss to Algeria, as well as conceding a penalty in the World Cup group opener versus Croatia, all of which he admits have spelt out the good and bad of his days so far with the Eagles, but his most symbolic day has to be qualifying for Russia 2018 in the city of his ancestors.
Troost-Ekong told Super Eagles Media: “Qualifying for the World Cup at home in Uyo, my home town was special, with my family there. It was a difficult group with Cameroon, Algeria and Zambia, that was a high point.”
“Another high point was scoring in the last minute against South Africa in the semi-final as well as the win against Iceland at the World Cup. (My low points was) obviously my own goal against Algeria and the penalty moment against Croatia at the World Cup.”
