Troost-Ekong urges Tosin Adarabioyo to choose Super Eagles allegiance

By Monsurah Olatunji

Nigerian national team captain William Troost-Ekong has urged Chelsea defender Tosin Adarabioyo to commit his international future to Nigeria, emphasizing the pride and passion that comes with representing the Super Eagles.

Adarabioyo, who was born in England to a Nigerian father and British mother, has been a subject of interest for the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

However, the 27-year-old, who has represented England at youth levels, has yet to make a decision on whether to pledge his allegiance to the Super Eagles or continue his international career with the Three Lions.

Reports suggest that Adarabioyo was approached by the NFF to represent Nigeria but declined the invitation from former Super Eagles head coach José Peseiro, who traveled to the UK last year to personally convince the defender to switch his international allegiance.

Now, Troost-Ekong, who himself was born in the Netherlands but chose to play for Nigeria, has encouraged Adarabioyo to make the switch and experience the unique honor of playing for the Super Eagles.

“There are so many rewards playing for Nigeria, not only from a game perspective,” Troost-Ekong said during an appearance on The Sports Afterparty Podcast.

“It means so much playing for the Super Eagles, even if you’re born outside the country, because the people love football so much.”

He continued, “It’s a different feeling if you play for the Netherlands or England than if you play for Nigeria. If you see how they carry the players when the team does well, there’s no feeling like it. All the greatest moments I’ve had in my career to date have all been around the Nigeria national team.”

Troost-Ekong’s words are a heartfelt invitation for Adarabioyo to experience the joy and pride of representing the green and white of Nigeria, a team where the passion of the fans is unrivaled.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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