“I’ve fought some clubs to play for Nigeria”- Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong

Troost-Ekong has not played for Nigeria in recent months, but he is willing to fight for a place in the team

Super Eagles defender William Troost-Ekong has revealed that he has had to fight some of his past clubs in order to play for Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports.

The AFCON is the holy grail of African football, but each time the competition draws near, there has always been a serious debate about the timing of the competition because it always holds in January, when the European season is in full swing.

This usually affects a lot of clubs in Europe, as Africa’s best legs ply their trades outside the continent. Some European clubs even try to coerce their players to forfeit their AFCON spots.

Nigeria defender Troost-Ekong is one of many African players who have had difficult periods at their clubs because they participated in the AFCON. Nonetheless, he insists that he has no regrets.

“AFCON is the biggest tournament for us besides the world Cup. I’ve had some big fights with clubs before,” Troost-Ekong exclusively told Soccernet.ng

“Obviously, everybody knows the story in Watford when I left my Premier League season to go and play and afterwards, I got a very difficult time in getting into the team because the club wasn’t happy. But I’m willing to make that sacrifice.”

“Also when I signed for.PAOK in July, the first thing I said to them was that we have a big tournament coming up in January, and I’m very committed to Nigeria.

Troost-Ekong has not been in the Super Eagles squad in recent months, but he could return to the team for the AFCON because he is one of the most experienced Nigerian defenders.