Nigerian defender William Troost-Ekong has responded to criticism from former teammates Troy Deeney and Michael Lahoud following Nigeria’s commanding 4-1 victory over Gabon in the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoff semifinal. The match took place in Morocco, with Troost-Ekong coming off the bench to help secure Nigeria’s place in Sunday’s final against DR Congo.
Troost-Ekong Calls Remarks Disrespectful
In a video shared by Victor Modo, Troost-Ekong addressed the pre-match comments made by Lahoud. He described them as uninformed and disrespectful. “I had to Google what he was talking about me,” Troost-Ekong stated. “If he’d done research, he might have offered a different explanation.”
Shared Leadership in Super Eagles
The defender emphasized that leadership within the Nigerian squad is distributed among multiple players. “Victor Osimhen leads in his own right,” Troost-Ekong explained. “We also have Wilfred Ndidi, Alex Iwobi, and Moses Simon.” He highlighted the team’s emerging talents showing their capabilities.
“You can’t dismiss contributions based on bench position,” he added. “I’ve earned 83 caps for Nigeria.”
Disappointment with Former Captain
Troost-Ekong expressed disappointment with Deeney’s criticism. “I supported him when he captained Watford,” he recalled. “Later I captained Watford too.” The defender questioned why Deeney didn’t contact him directly.
“He could have called me,” Troost-Ekong stated. “If he lacks respect, perhaps I should reclaim the Nigeria shirt I gave him.”
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