Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has weighed in on the ongoing debate about the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) being disrespected, emphasizing the importance of celebrating the tournament, which is a dream for him and many other players to win.
The debate was sparked by comments from former Liverpool player Jamie Carragher, who suggested that Mohamed Salah’s chances of winning the Ballon D’or were high due to his form for Liverpool rather than his performance for Egypt.
Carragher’s comments drew criticism from African football players and fans, who felt he was disrespecting the tournament and the continent as a whole.
When asked about the issue on talkSPORT, Troost-Ekong chose to focus on the significance of the tournament rather than criticizing the opinions of others: “I think everyone is entitled to their opinion and I think it’s also important for me to share mine. Representing 220 million people, I think the question we have to ask ourselves is that we have 46 active African players in the premier league, which is considered the most prestigious league in the world. Would it be the same without their major contribution?”
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“I’ve had the privilege of playing in eight different countries. From the Premier League to the Serie A, to Holland, Belgium, Norway, Turkey, winning the league in Greece last year before coming to Saudi Arabia, and one thing that I’ve found everywhere is that football unites people,” he added.
Troost-Ekong went on to emphasize the importance of celebrating AFCON, which is a major goal for many players including him: “It is very important to celebrate such a tournament. I know how important it is to me and my current teammates like Ademola Lookman; African player of the year, played champions league football that we know as a household name, his major dream still remains to win the AFCON.”
“I’ve been there three times now. Bronze medal, silver medal but I haven’t had the chance to win it so that’s my ultimate goal and that’s how much it means to me and to all the kids growing up in Africa and Nigeria.”
The Super Eagles captain acknowledged the challenges of playing in AFCON but highlighted the tournament’s development in recent years: “We face challenging things but for the past three tournaments, I’ve seen constant improvement. I think the climate is very difficult and that’s something you have to adjust to. For players at any level, it makes it even harder to win it. I think that’s why you see players like Mohammed Salah, and experts who have gone on to win the tournament always talk of the difficulty that comes with it.”
Troost-Ekong also expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming AFCON tournament in Morocco. “The last one in Ivory Coast was, in my opinion, fantastic. There were over two billion viewers worldwide and I can only anticipate how that’s going to grow towards the tournament in Morocco at the end of the year and how much we should be looking forward to that.”
William Troost-Ekong was crowned the best player of the tournament in Ivory Coast after leading the team to the final, scoring important goals and showcasing defensive resilience as well as remarkable leadership. He will be hoping to take one step further by lifting the trophy in Morocco as the Super Eagles aim to win their first AFCON since 2013.
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