Oluwatosin Enesi
The kind gesture by the 30-year-old PAOK Thessaloniki centre-back, who hails from Akwa Ibom State, was aired on Brila FM on Monday.
Born in The Netherlands to a Dutch mother and a Nigerian father, Troost-Ekong maximises every opportunity to fraternise with his Ibibio folks, and it was only a matter of time before he gave back to the society that birthed and nurtured his father.
Every AkwaIbom indigene sees Troost-Ekong as a worthy ambassador, earning bragging rights from his consistent outstanding performances for the Eagles.
Such was the case after he distinguished himself as captain of the Eagles at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast, where he was the team’s top scorer with three goals and was named MVP of the tournament as Nigeria lost in the final to the hosts.
It will be recalled that Troost-Ekong was honoured by the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, UmoEno, following his stellar AFCON outing.
The player presented an Eagles jersey to the Governor during a reception at the Government House in Uyo as a token of appreciation for the state’s unwavering support and encouragement.
Being born in The Netherlands by a Dutch mother meant Troost-Ekong was eligible to feature for the Dutch and Nigeria at international level. After turning out for the former at the U-19 and U-20 levels, he switched allegiance to the latter and was capped six times at U-23 level before being promoted to the Eagles.
Troost-Ekong made his senior debut for Nigeria on June 13, 2015, playing 90 minutes in an AFCON qualifying match against Chad, and has since earned 71 caps with seven goals to his name.
Our Reporter
