‘I Was Struggling to Walk’: Super Eagles Captain Ekong Opens Up on AFCON Injury

• William Troost-Ekong struggled with an injury at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations
• The Super Eagles vice-captain was voted as Player of the Tournament
• Ekong scored three goals in seven games for Nigeria in the competition

William Troost-Ekong has disclosed he could not walk after tearing his bicep femoris during Nigeria’s campaign at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations where he captained the team to the final.

The 30-year-old defender, who picked up the injury in the second group game against Ivory Coast, defied the pains and continued to play on with injections in subsequent games for the Super Eagles.

According to the Daily Post, Ekong, who scored three goals for Nigeria, has now opened up on how he managed to continue playing in the tournament despite the seriousness of his injury.

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“It was very sore playing with it, and I couldn’t really train after the second group game. I was just trying ice to keep the swelling down.

“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. The day after each game it was definitely showing as I was struggling to walk.”

Troost-Ekong has been ruled out for the rest of the season after having surgery to repair the damage on his hamstring and is reported to return to full fitness before the start of next season.

Ekong rues missing AFCON title

Meanwhile, Troost-Ekong has disclosed he would have swapped the AFCON Player of the Tournament award for the title if he were asked to choose one between the two, The Nation reports.

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The 30-year-old had given Nigeria the lead in the final but goals from Franck Kessie and Sebastian Haller ensured Ivory Coast completed a remarkable comeback to win 2-1 and take home the title.

It was Nigeria’s first AFCON final since 2013, but Ekong’s goal was not good enough to earn the Super Eagles their fourth continental title against the hosts.

Troost-Ekong aims jibe at Black Stars

Earlier, Sports Brief reported that Super Eagles captain Troost-Ekong poked fun at the Black Stars following Nigeria's friendly win over Ghana on Friday.

Jordan Ayew’s last-minute penalty was nothing but a mere consolation for coach Otto Addo’s men as they fell 2-1 to the Super Eagles with Cyriel Dessers and Ademola Lookman netting for Nigeria.

Ekong, who missed the game through injury, led the trolls after the final whistle while praising the Super Eagles for a job well done.