Former Super Eagles defender questions Troost-Ekong’s omission from CAF Team of the Year

Former Nigeria and West Bromwich Albion left-back, Ifeanyi Udeze, has questioned the omission of Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong, from the 2024 CAF Team of the Year, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Al-Kholood centre-back overturned a disagreement with Jose Peseiro to turn his career with the Nigerian National team around, and captained the Super Eagles to the AFCON 2023 final, scoring three goals alongside, the joint-most in the team.

Following his impressive performance in Ivory Coast, the former Udinese man was given the MVP award at the AFCON 2023 tournament. For PAOK Thessaloniki, Ekong won the Greek Super League before moving to Saudi Arabia.

As CAF unveiled their best eleven during the 2024 CAF Awards in Morocco, the list featured two Nigerians in Victor Osimhen and the eventual player of the year, Ademola Lookman. The back three was completed by Achraf Hakimi, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Chancel Mbemba.

ABIDJAN, COTE D IVOIRE – JANUARY 27 William Troost Ekong of Nigeria and Frank Magri of Cameroon during the TotalEnergies Caf Africa Cup of Nations Afcon 2023 match between Nigeria and Cameroon at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny on January 27, 2024 in Abidjan, Cote d Ivoire. Photo by Didier Lefa Copyright: xDidierxLefax. [Photo credit/ Imago]
Ekong’s exclusion sparked interesting conversations in the Nigerian media, and Ifeanyi Udeze weighed his thoughts in, questioning why the best player at the AFCON tournament didn’t make the Continents team of the year.

“Troost Ekong is the AFCON MVP, why isn’t he on the Africa best XI? He doesn’t need a vote, his place should be automatic,” the one-time Greek winner said on No Holds Barred with Brila.

While Troost-Ekong didn’t make any statement about his omission, he openly congratulated Ademola Lookman for winning the Player of the Year Award, claiming it was well deserved by the Atalanta forward.

Adefolahan Guerreiro

Adefolahan is a multilingual journalist and writer at Soccernet Nigeria. With a track record of involvement in College sports, Adefolahan is focused on crafting engaging football content and utilising his language skills and extensive sports knowledge to enhance content accessibility for a global audience. He has interviewed Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.

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