Super Eagles: Ndidi Hails Troost-Ekong, Simon Mourns Fredrick’s AFCON Absence

Wilfred Ndidi has admitted that the Super Eagles of Nigeria will feel the void left by former captain William Troost-Ekong following his retirement from international football.

Wilfred Ndidi was officially named the new captain of the Super Eagles on Tuesday, taking over from Troost-Ekong, who recently stepped away from the national team.

The Leicester City midfielder described his predecessor as a strong voice and a figure whose presence shaped the squad both on and off the pitch.

Speaking to the Super Eagles media team, Ndidi said: “Troost-Ekong stands for the Nigeria team, I admire him a lot and how outspoken he is.

“Everyone in the Super Eagles squad looks up to him. I’ve learned a lot from him.

“We also spoke a couple of weeks ago, so I feel like Troost-Ekong is still part of the team and he is going to be missed.”

Troost-Ekong, formerly of Watford, captained Nigeria through several major tournaments and was widely regarded as a unifying figure within the dressing room.

Meanwhile, winger Moses Simon has expressed sadness over the absence of Benjamin Fredrick from Nigeria’s squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Naija News reports that Fredrick has been ruled out after sustaining an injury. The young defender had impressed since breaking into Eric Chelle’s team earlier this year and was expected to be part of the Super Eagles’ plans for the competition.

In an interview with ESPN, Simon shared his emotions about Fredrick missing out on the tournament.

“It’s very emotional for me,” he said. “It’s an unbelievably big dream to play with the young players you helped to the top because the feeling is something else.

“But I’m sad that Fredrick will not be here [Morocco with the Super Eagles squad]. Because he’ll help us if he were here.”