Troost-Ekong has not made the Super Eagles squad in the last two international windows, but he is hoping that his fortunes improve ahead of the AFCON
Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong has revealed that he wants to play at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast next January. Soccernet.ng reports.
Troost-Ekong has been a regular for the Super Eagles since his debut in 2015. He formed a solid partnership with Leon Balogun, and they eventually got nicknamed the Oyinbo Wall.
Since 2015, The 30-year-old defender has made 64 appearances for Nigeria and has played at the World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations.
However, Troost-Ekong has not made Nigeria’s squad for the last two international windows. The last time he was part of the team was in September for the game against Sao Tome and Principe.
In an earlier report, Soccernet revealed that Troost-Ekong had a clash with Peseiro, which is why he has not gotten a call-up recently.
However, in a recent interview, Troost-Ekong has stated that one of his dreams is to play at the AFCON in Ivory Coast next year.
“We spoke about it[attending the AFCON] when I arrived at PAOK. At the time I was captaining Nigeria, I said we worked very hard as a team to qualify for the AFCON, and it’s my dream to go there and win it,” Troost-Ekong told Oma Sports.
“The last months, I’ve had to rethink everything and going to the AFCON will be a big sacrifice, especially with how things are going at my club.
“So, yeah, I’d like to do it again. But you have to feel the appreciation and get the invite. So we’ll see about it. I’ll keep working hard at my club, give my best performances, and see what happens.”
As it stands, it seems Peseiro’s preferred centre-back are Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi. Nonetheless, Troost-Ekong could add a lot in terms of leadership and experience.
