William Troost-Ekong names Lionel Messi as best player ever faced

Nigeria assistant captain, William Troost-Ekong has named Lionel Messi as the best player he has ever faced after their encounter at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

“It would have to be Lionel Messi at the World Cup. We lost 2-1, last minute, and he scored the first goal and it was something special,” Ekong revealed in latest episode of 90min and Pledgeball’s Football’s Climate Conversation.

“He took it over the shoulder with the back of his heel with his right foot, and I remember I felt like I almost wanted to clap – it was something special.

“And of course when you see him as probably the greatest player of all time, to witness that, unfortunately being on the wrong side of it, it was something special.

“You’re never in control [when one-v-one against Messi]. I did manage to get one or two blocks or tackles, I don’t know if maybe that was just his bad moments, but for the rest of the game his reading – he walked around a lot – and was always in the right positions.

“Sometimes it looked like he wasn’t involved in the game, but then when he was, he was someone that we couldn’t stop so I think that’s the hardest thing, when someone’s unpredictable and can literally do everything with the ball. I think that’s what makes him special.

“I always wanted to be part of a footballing movement that would be good for the planet.”