Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has insisted that Fulham star Alex Iwobi will go down as a national team great when he eventually retires, Soccernet.ng reports.
Although just 26 years old, Iwobi is one of the longest-serving Nigerian player. The versatile midfielder got his national team debut in 2015 under the tutelage of Franco-German tactician Gernot Rohr.
Since then, he has gone on to make 80 appearances and has ten goals to his name. However, the Fulham star has been criticized often for his performances. In fact, at the last Africa Cup of Nations, he had to disable his social media account due to targeted abuses and insults from fans.
Amid all these, Super Eagles captain Troost-Ekong has stated that Nigerian fans will eventually begin to respect Iwobi soon.
“I think the biggest motivation we see some great players like Alex Iwobi, he has been now also for a long time, 80 something caps, he was there at my second camp and I was trying to use him as I think a top role model for any player, someone who has played in the Premier League throughout his career, ” Troost-Ekong said at the pre-match presser ahead of Nigeria’s game against Rwanda.
“He has nothing to prove, always comes here on time, doesn’t open his mouth, works hard, has been criticized heavily by people also sitting in this room but he is someone that will go down as a real great when he finishes playing.
“Sometimes you have to appreciate the players we have here and you know all these boys are working hard, they want to make everyone proud.
“So we are all in this journey together and I am very proud to have already done almost 10 years but I am not finished yet, I still have some targets to achieve.”
The Super Eagles play Rwanda on Monday, and they will be looking to claim a win even though they have qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.