Sports
BREAKING: Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong announces retirement
Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has announced his retirement from international football, following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after a playoff defeat to DR Congo.
Club Commitments Behind the Decision
Ekong reportedly must meet a minimum number of club appearances to secure a new deal. Participating in AFCON 2025 would prevent him from fulfilling that requirement.
Sources say he had decided to retire even before the playoff match but kept it private until after Nigeria’s elimination.
He revealed his decision to teammates in the dressing room, adding that he would still travel to Morocco to support the squad in a non-playing role.
A Decade of Service
Ekong made his Super Eagles debut ten years ago in an AFCON qualifier against Chad. He later formed the defensive duo known as the “Oyibo Wall” with Leon Balogun, which played a key role in Nigeria’s qualification for the 2018 World Cup.
His finest moment came at AFCON 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire, where he was named Most Valuable Player as Nigeria finished as runners-up, cementing his legacy in Nigerian football.
Leadership Gap Ahead of AFCON 2025
His retirement coincides with the expected rise of 19-year-old Benjamin Fredrick as his successor.
However, the Brentford defender, currently on loan at FC Dender, has been ruled out of AFCON 2025 due to injury, leaving the Super Eagles short on defensive leadership.
Ekong joined Al Kholood from Greek champions PAOK in August 2024 and remains under contract until June 2026, with an option for an additional year.
With the Nigeria Football Federation set to announce a 55-man provisional squad soon, Ekong’s absence will be a major talking point ahead of Morocco 2025.
Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal now holds another Champions League record after the club’s 2-1 victory over Frankfurt on Tuesday night.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
Yamal’s assist for Jules Kounde means he now has more goal involvements in the tournament than any other player aged 18 or younger.
The Spaniard has now beaten Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappe’s record.
Barcelona had to come from behind to get the three points against Frankfurt at the Spotify Nou Camp.
Ansgar Knauff put the Bundesliga side in front before the break.
But in the second half, two goals from Kounde sealed an important victory for the Catalans, with Marcus Rashford and Yamal bagging assists.
Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca, has blamed a lack of control and fatigue for their 2-1 defeat to Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday night.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
Maresca’s men took the lead through Joao Pedro, before the Serie A side fought back to take all three points.
Gianluca Scamacca’s header levelled the game, before Charles De Ketelaere smashed in the winner in the 83rd minute.
“After we conceded the first goal, we lost control a little bit of the game,” Maresca told TNT Sports.
“We are playing every two days, two days, two days. For a moment we looked like we struggled a bit.
“We were aggressive like them. We had different chances to make it 2-0 and when we conceded 1-1 the dynamic of the game changed a little bit.”
Chelsea now have 10 points from six games, two points behind eighth-placed Liverpool.
The Blues welcome Everton to Stamford Bridge next in the Premier League this weekend.
Brazil head coach, Carlo Ancelotti, has predicted that Arsenal will not win the Champions League this season.....TAP TO CONTINUE READING
The Gunners have won all the five fixtures they have played so far and are top of the league phase with 15 points.
Mikel Arteta’s side have seen off the likes of Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich in that run, conceding only one goal.
Arsenal are being regarded by several pundits as one of the favourites to lift the trophy this season.
But Ancelotti, who won the competition twice with AC Milan and three times with Real Madrid, feels one of his former clubs will emerge champions.
In an interview with TNT Sport, Ancelotti was asked who is thinks will win the Champions League, he simply replied: “My Real Madrid.”
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