Super Eagles vice-captain William Troost-Ekong has opened up about his experience of playing with injury during the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire.
Troost-Ekong, 30, sustained a torn bicep femoris, a hamstring injury, during Nigeria’s second group game against the hosts.
In spite of missing one group stage match, he returned to play every minute of the team’s remaining four games in the tournament. Troost-Ekong managed to contribute significantly through the pain, scoring three crucial goals and being named Player of the Tournament.
In an interview with CNN World Sports, he detailed how he coped with the injury, saying, “I had a torn bicep femoris, which is basically the outside part of the hamstring. It happened during the tournament and I think I had a small tear initially in the second group stage game against Cote d’Ivoire.”
Troost-Ekong explained his limited training regimen, stating, “I might do half an hour of training the day before each game, and then during the game a combination of painkillers and adrenaline mean you can get through it.”
Notwithstanding his struggles, he added, “The day after each game it was definitely showing as I was struggling to walk.” Troost-Ekong underwent surgery on the injury last month and is expected to return to action in May.
