Osimhen, Iwobi pay tributes to Troost-Ekong

File photo: Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong.

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Victor Osimhen and Alex Iwobi have paid heartfelt tributes to Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong after the defender announced his retirement from international football.

Troost-Ekong, 32, steps away after a decade of service, 83 caps and eight goals, ending his international journey just days before Nigeria begin their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco.

The defender broke the news in a personal message on Thursday, writing, “Honoured. Grateful. Forever a Super Eagle. Playing for Nigeria has been the greatest privilege of my life. The journey may end here, but my support never will. Here’s to the next chapter.”

Troost-Ekong’s retirement drew an immediate emotional response from striker Victor Osimhen, who has shared the pitch with the defender since his own early days with the national team.

The Galatasaray forward expressed admiration and gratitude, writing on social media, “It’s been an honour sharing the pitch with you, skippo. Your guidance, humility, and professionalism pushed all of us to be better.

“Thank you for everything you’ve given to the team and Nigeria. Wishing you greatness ahead. You’ve earned it. Legend forever.”

Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi echoed the sentiment in an interview with SportyTV’s Kelechi, describing the retirement as an “emotional moment” inside the camp.

“Obviously, it is a sad one for us because he is a big part of our team. But at the end of the day, I wish him well, he is a brother, he has helped Nigeria and me,” Iwobi said.

“Of course, towards the end of his Nigerian career, he wasn’t playing as much as probably he would like, but he was still a big part of our team, his voice, the way he was leading us and the way he made sure the togetherness in the team was very high and very strong.”

Iwobi praised the former captain’s impact in the dressing room, saying, “So he will be very missed, he was a big leader for us, and I am sure we have other leaders that can follow in his footsteps, but we all wish him well.”

Troost-Ekong, who plays for Al-Kholood in the Saudi Pro League, was born in the Netherlands to a Dutch mother and Nigerian father. After representing the Netherlands at the youth level, he committed his senior international future to Nigeria and made his debut on June 13, 2015, in an AFCON qualifying match against Chad.

His tally of five goals at the AFCON remains the highest scored by a defender in the history of the competition. The defender scored eight goals in 83 appearances, with his final outing coming as a late substitute against Gabon on November 13.

Peter, who has been covering sports for PUNCH for close to two years, focuses on combat sports reporting, special features and human angle stories

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