Nigeria captain William Troost-Ekong dreams of lifting trophy

The Nigerian center back, who was born in the Netherlands, has had a promising campaign in both the current Africa Cup of Nations and Europe, drawing the attention of major league teams. William Troost-Ekong has become one of Africa’s most highly regarded defenders by accumulating a plethora of experience while playing for multiple clubs.

William Troost-Ekong, a gifted Nigerian defender who will be 30 years old in January 2024, was born in Haarlem, Netherlands, on September 1, 1993. William Troost-Ekong’s mother Eleanore is Dutch, and his father is a Nigerian from Etinan in Akwa Ibom State. The two siblings of the defender are Everest and Emily.
Europe is familiar with Troost-Ekong, a man renowned for his defensive prowess. His love of football, diligence, and hard work have brought him millions of dollars in salary and bonuses in addition to a devoted following.

Lifting the Africa Cup of Nations trophy, according to Nigerian captain William Troost-Ekong, would be an “amazing” event for both him and the nation.

In order to go to Sunday’s final in Abidjan, where they will take on the tournament hosts, Ivory Coast, at 20:00 GMT, the Super Eagles defeated South Africa on penalties.

Since the West Africans won their third continental championship in 2013, Nigeria has advanced to their first final.
“You fantasize about times like that,” Troost-Ekong, the center defender, said to BBC Sport Africa.
“I’ve witnessed it a great deal. I’ve shut my eyes as well. It will be incredible to be there on Sunday and get the opportunity to do that.”

Given their lackluster performances in their first two 2026 World Cup qualifiers and their rating as the sixth-best team in Africa based on FIFA’s world rankings, Nigeria was not one of the front-runners for the championship going into the finals.

But since the end of the last 16, when record seven-time winners Egypt, Senegal, and Morocco all lost, the Super Eagles have been the top-ranked team in the competition.
Jose Peseiro, the manager of Nigeria, claims he has always had faith in his team, who scored the most goals to earn a spot in the finals with 22 goals.
The Portuguese player told BBC Sport Africa, “I said when I signed the contract that I want to win the Afcon.”
In any case, I’m not sure if everyone was convinced or not. I have had faith from the beginning.”We wish to win the Afcon since we haven’t won anything yet.”

Due to Troost-Ekong’s outstanding leadership, Nigeria is poised to win its fourth AFCON championship.

Nigeria is quickly approaching its fourth Africa Cup of Nations title. They advanced to the final thanks to a 4-2 penalty shootout victory over South Africa, and once again, it was all about the defense.

There are still unanswered issues regarding various parts of the SuperEagles game, such as whether or not Peseiro (and his tactics) was the appropriate choice for Nigeria, despite their surprising run to these semifinals—not many predicted the SuperEagles would advance this far before the competition.

However, the team’s heroes, captain William Troost-Ekong and goalie Stanley Nwabali, have shown themselves by stepping up during numerous stressful situations. On Sunday, when they play the hosts Ivory Coast in the final, they will need to maintain their composure once more.

President Troost-Ekong!
Defender Troost-Ekong, by his own admission, came dangerously close to pulling out of this tournament and to giving up on playing football internationally.

Rather, he and Victor Osimhen would be tied for tournament MVP if Nigeria were to win the entire thing. It would be a disservice if a Nigerian, particularly one of those two, did not win it, even if they don’t.

Fans and coaches alike have questioned Troost-Ekong’s leadership and ability in previous years, which is why he was kept off the team for a whole season without a single word of protest.

However, this competition has revealed Troost-Ekong to be a confident leader as well as a skilled defender.. He instructed the coach to replace the worn-out Onyeka in the quarterfinal, despite the fact that only moments before, Peseiro had asked him if he was exhausted.

But it was in this semifinal that his genuine leadership abilities were demonstrated. When the squad let up a goal on a penalty kick, he was there to rally the troops and prevent them from losing their minds.

He had the guts to take and score a high pressure penalty kick. Additionally, the defender was spotted gesturing to his head and mouthing the word “mentality” to agitate his teammates when the game eventually came down to spotkicks.

Few players have guided their team with the same level of assurance, style, and bravery on the pitch as the former Watford player. His goal against South Africa brought his total to four, matching the 32-year-old record for a Nigerian defender held by the illustrious Stephen Keshi, further solidifying his already legendary status.

Fascinating information about Troost-Ekong

The captain of Nigeria is renowned for his leadership, deft passing, and defensive abilities. His accomplishments both on and off the field have encouraged a lot of young African football players to pursue their goals. We have more fascinating information on Troost-Ekong than just football.

South Africa Don’t get support’ from their home country
South Africa was left to lament a squandered chance to add to their lone continental victory on home soil in 1996 following their defeat on penalties.

Although Bafana Bafana finished third in 2000 and as runners-up two years later, they had not played in the semi-finals of a major tournament before Wednesday’s match against Nigeria.

“We have battled since the beginning of the competition,” defenseman Aubrey Modiba stated to BBC Sport Africa.
Even though we had a chance to win towards the end, we were able to level the score and force extra time.

“Penalties are a lottery, despite our slight disappointment. You can’t look back and it wasn’t meant to be. “We’re hoping to improve after this competition and keep getting into these events. For South African football, the exposure, experience, and manner in which everything is handled here are all positive.

After missing out on qualifying for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, South Africa made it to the tournament’s semi-finals for the first time since 2000. Modiba is a player for the Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria, who won the first African Football League and have supplied the majority of the South African team.

Now that Bafana Bafana has defeated Morocco in the round of 16, the 28-year-old is hoping that their performances in Ivory Coast would increase confidence in the team’s ability back home.

“People outside of South Africa believe in us because they’ve been watching our games, but back home we don’t get the same support – which is something that we are used to now,” he explained.
We know the South African population doesn’t really believe in us, which is why we push and fight.

“However, because people follow the games all across the world, they will realize that we have ourselves. I still have faith in this group, and I think positive things are coming from them.”

In the third-place play-off, which will take place on Saturday in Abidjan at 20:00 GMT, South Africa will now take against DR Congo.