Olisha Ndah salutes William Troost-Ekong after shock retirement

Troost-Ekong stepped away from Nigeria duty after 83 caps and, despite being named in the preliminary AFCON squad, chose to call time on his international career just days before this month’s tournament.

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Speaking on Metro FM’s Sports Night Amplified with Andile Ncube, Ndah lamented what he sees as a lack of appreciation for the long-serving skipper.

 "He is a great person to be honest. I can tell you from the first day, I got a call up when I met him, he is a fantastic person. Apart from being a captain he is a true leader. He does so much for us, but you know how football works, not everyone will like you. But you can see from what he did for us, highest goal scorer in the last AFCON, player of the tournament - that says a lot. As human beings we are quick to forget, you know with one little thing - they forget the whole good thing, that he has been good for us for the past 10 years," said Ndah.

Ndah revealed he’d reached out to Troost-Ekong, the Player of the Tournament at the previous AFCON in Ivory Coast, to wish him well.

"He got his first call up in 2015, he has been there for 10 years, and he's been consistently playing. It's football you know, we spoke and wished him all the best. He is a great person. But now we're looking at what we can do next," added Ndah.

Last month’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers became Troost-Ekong’s final act with the team failing to reach the showpiece, a reality Ndah says pierced like a dagger to the heart.

"I felt so bad. Imagine I was not even there with the guys. I had conversations with some of the guys and they were just so down. I think in the beginning phase of the qualifiers we didn't perform well. So right now we are focusing on the AFCON just to get there and do our best and get to the finals again," he expressed.

Ndah added that he was now focused on working his way back to full fitness as Pirates challenge for the Betway Premiership title.