Super Eagles captain, William Troost-Ekong has sent shockwaves through Nigerian football by hinting that the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco might be his last.
The 30-year-old PAOK defender, a veteran of multiple AFCON tournaments, made the surprising revelation while reflecting on his past experiences and his desire to create lasting memories for his family.
Troost-Ekong admitted that during AFCON 2023, he had brought a personal camera to document his journey but quickly realized how difficult it was to balance filming with the demands of leading the team.
“I don’t think it takes over much, but I’m quite conscious of my role in the team now.”
And I feel like if you are a captain and if you are someone that some of the younger players are looking up to, I don’t know if I give the right message by walking around filming everything and trying to really, maybe instead of being present in that moment, trying to show other people that moment. And so it’s hard to find that balance.”
He explained that the emotional highs and lows of a major tournament made it even harder to capture moments consistently.
“And also because during such a tournament it is so intense because you have moments when people are upset or someone’s not playing or something goes wrong or maybe you’re not winning a game.”
Despite the challenges, the AFCON 2023 MVP is determined to make a return to documenting his journey, especially since Morocco 2025 could mark the end of his international tournament career.
“So I feel like you have to either be consistent with it or you don’t do it at all. If you just try and cherry lick it, it’s hard to know, okay, I’m gonna film that, film that.”
”Because the best content I had on that channel was the most random moments. Or someone else maybe grabbing the camera for this and then doing a bit.”
Troost-Ekong Drops Shocking News
“So I probably will bring it back for the next AFCON, just because I think it’s probably gonna be my last one.”
”And I also just wanna have it for memories and to show my kids when they grow up.”
Having played a crucial role for Nigeria since making his Super Eagles debut in 2015, Troost-Ekong has become a leader and fan favorite.
If AFCON 2025 does turn out to be his final tournament, he will be aiming to bow out in style—potentially by leading Nigeria to its fourth continental title.
