William Troost-Ekong: AFCON 2023 Player of the Tournament who almost got shoved out of the Super Eagles team

William Troost-Ekong walked away with the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations Player of The Tournament following an impressive performance

PAOK defender William Troost-Ekong emerged as the Player of the Tournament in the just-concluded 2023 Africa Cup of Nations tournament after nearly facing exclusion from the Super Eagles team, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Super Eagles vice-captain did not step on the field throughout the 2023 fixtures, missing Nigeria’s clashes against Guinea-Bissau, Saudi Arabia, Mozambique, Lesotho, and Zimbabwe.

Resuming the 2024 fixtures, he featured for the side all through their AFCON 2023 campaign, except in Nigeria’s third group stage clash against Guinea-Bissau, where they edged past the Central Africans with a 1-nil victory.

The absence of Troost-Ekong, a key player in the squad, throughout 2023 came as a bit of a surprise for him and the Nigerian football community.

“I think it’s too early for me to make that decision. I’m still very willing, and yes supporting the team, I’ve been following the games like always. I think I have been part of the squad for like, eight years now. So it has been a bit of a surprise for me. But the best I can do is to work hard in my club. I think I am showing that I can still be of great help for the team. Yeah, we will see what happens with AFCON. But I’m still very willing, and I want the best for Nigeria,” he earlier stated to Soccernet.ng Managing Editor, Lolade Adewuyi.

This suggests the sidelining of the 30-year-old defender from the squad, with the inclusion of Calvin Bassey and Semi Ajayi in the defensive line.

Things took a different turn when the former Watford defender was given a chance at the 2023 AFCON tournament.

Despite playing with an injury, he manned the defence line of the Super Eagles, scored crucial goals, and earned him the Player of the Tournament title.

Following this, the defender earned accolades from the Nigerian football community and also etched his name in the history books.