Troost-Ekong, born to a Nigerian father and a Dutch mom, made his debut for the Tremendous Eagles in 2015 beneath Keshi after a notable season with Groningen. He beforehand represented the Netherlands on the U-19 and U-20 ranges earlier than deciding to play for Nigeria.
Talking on the Hindsight Podcast, the 30-year-old mentioned his journey to reconnect along with his Nigerian heritage.
“I recognized with Holland all through my teenagers. I by no means actually felt Dutch as a result of my pores and skin is just not the identical as theirs although I’m light-skinned. In the identical method, once I got here again to Nigeria, my father stayed in Ikeja, they all the time mentioned see oyinbo. So I believe it was like a seek for id. After I was about 18, I felt like I wished to know a bit extra about my roots. I all the time wished to play for the Tremendous Eagles but it surely felt intangible on the time,” Troost-Ekong shared.
Troost-Ekong highlighted Keshi’s affect, noting that the legendary coach, who led Nigeria to victory within the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, was instrumental in his determination.
“I wished to play for Nigeria. After my first debut season within the Eredivisie, Stephen Keshi referred to as me, out of the blue. I checked out my telephone about 5 occasions simply to make sure it wasn’t a prank name. We acquired speaking and he informed me he favored what I used to be doing and wished me to hitch the Tremendous Eagles, and I mentioned sure. He requested if I wished to inform my dad and mom about it, however I informed him I couldn’t wait, and that’s how the story began. We made the swap, and it was good. Vincent Enyeama was fairly useful, and I used to be nervous, however I haven’t seemed again since,” he recounted.
Regardless of his contributions and reiterating his health, Troost-Ekong was not referred to as as much as the Tremendous Eagles squad by coach Finidi George for his or her FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying matches.
