William Troost-Ekong has won the Player of the Tournament award at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, reports Completesports.com.
The centre-back won the award following his impressive displays for the Super Eagles at the AFCON 2023 finals.
Troost-Ekong scored three goals in six appearances for Nigeria in the competition.
The 30-year-old impressed in all the games he played for Nigeria in Cote d’Ivoire.
Read Also:AFCON 2023 Final: Super Eagles Lose Gallantly As Resilient CIV’s Elephants Bag 3rd Title
The Super Eagles lost 2-1 to hosts Cote d’Ivoire in the final of the competition.
Equatorial Guinea forward, Emilio Nsue won the top scorer award.
Nsue scored five goals in the competition.
South Africa’s Rowen Williams won the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award.
Brighton & Hove Albion winger, Simon Adingra was named the Young Player of the Tournament award.
Emerse Fae of Cote d’Ivoire was named Coach of the Tournament.
By Adeboye Amosu in Abidjan
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Yes okay, Ekong won it deservedly so is Nsue but the best keeper of the tournament should have been Nwabili.
TRULY DESERVED AWARD.
WILLIAMS TROOST-EKONG, KEEP IT UP
“…the worst defender in the history of Nigerian football…” according to some charlatans walks out of a whole 24 team AFCON as the “BEST PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT”
Olisah Ndah is far better than Ekong…..LMAOoo.
Thank you William for shutting their mouths up forever.
That man doesn’t understand football. Anybody who understands football will know that Ekong is a very good defender both now and in the past
Are they bringing back Rohr??
…You this boy you are very pathetic human being… No wonder no one takes you serious on this site anymore…
…Nothing is given free of charge, Ekong earned his stripes this AFCON… but before now there wasn’t nothing spectacular about his outputs for Nigeria.
…I saw a player who is vastly improved and forumites will bear me witness that I never for any instant criticised Ekong this AFCON.
…Na you know where the pain you. One thing you can’t play down is the fact I know my football.
…Going by this tournament, can you now realise that my views about Iwobi, Aribo and Chukwueze are now being echoed by all?. Those three need not be part of Super Eagles going forward.
Hahahaha…..this kid, it is you they take serious right….LMAOoo.
Indeed they did take you serious when you said Olisah Ndah was far better than Ekong….LMAOoo
They did take you serious when you said Kelechi Nwakali is far better than Mikel and all SE midfielders combined…LMAOoo
As a matter of fact, they are still taking you serious till today for telling them Junior Ajayi is better than Dessers, Onuachu and Iheanacho combined
Ekong did not earn his stripes when he marshalled our Central Deffence to a Bronze medal finish at the Olympics in 2016 right…? LMAOOO…..HE easily could also have been our MVP In that tournament. We can hardly even remember the name of whoever partnered him at CB back then….LMAOoo
He didn’t earn his stripes when he formed the most formidable central defensive partnership of the SE in 3 decades….LMAOoo.
He didn’t earn his stripes when the SE where unbeaten on the continent bar 1 for nearly 3 years….LMAOoo
He didn’t earn his stripes denying gauranteed starter shirts and confining all your “better than Ekong” CBs to the national team’s bench since 2016…..LMAOoo
Even Bartimeus son of Timmeus knows chukwuze and aribo are useless to the SE cause…..so anyone saying that his simply echoing a voicemail tone…..LMAOoo
Once again, “…the worst defender in the history of Nigerian football…” according to some charlatans walks shoulders raiseď out of a whole 24 team AFCON as the “BEST PLAYER OF THE TOURNAMENT”…..with a Greek league title in the offing, a place in European Competitions knockout rounds guaranteed and a bumper million dollar retirement deal waiting for him in Saudi, the mecca of football where the world’s best players get signed…..having previously graced the English EPL and the Italian Serie A.
Olisah Ndah is far better than Ekong…..LMAOoo.
Thank you William for shutting them all up forever. I said it before nearly 3 years ago that those who deried you shall come back to sing your praise.
Congrats and what a fitting end to a patriotic and dedicated national team career.
Honestly you have time responding to this pathetic fool. All tournament he was mute, now the team lost he was to show us his ugly head. It’s just shows he is a sore loser. The team kept proving him wrong with his yeye stats he was presenting here.
Yes i will fault the coach on this one. He didn’t learn a lesson from the last match, SA really exposed us and that should have sent a warning to the coach that he need to twist a tactics a bit. I had expected at list terem to start to put pressure on the ivorian defense. Well better luck next time.
@Jimmy, you are right on this.
Ekong has greatly improved and deserves the award.
He raised his game bigtime!!
The same way the world has noticed Uzohobasket regression and the major weakness in the team.
@Larry thank. We can take lessons from this game. I only blame the coach, but he too did learn lessons today. His players argued with him all tournament to make changes to his tactics mostly to play a midfield three-man to avoid them suffering too much chasing the ball… he continued to set them up to play defensive football. After the first half, I thought he will switch to 4231 or 433 to allow us match the Ivorians but he stuck with a setup which was clearly still negative… in a high stakes game like that… no team can defend all 90minutes. Peseiro failed today. Now is time to kickoout overhyped players from the team… Iwobi,Aribo,Musa and Chukwueze should make way for Akpom,Tella,Boniface and Ejuke. Then we go for some real midfielders like Nwobodo and Matthew.
Thumbs to you @JimmyBall on this comment. I would love to add Zaidu to the list of those that should make their way out of the team even Moses Simon, if he fails to stop been too selfish. Kelechi Nwakali is really a good midfielder but because he is not playing for a big club he was neglected. I hope SE will put an end to the mentality of scoring just a goal and switch their pattern of play to a defensive style, it is so boring and very bad for a country like Nigeria. Ola Aina should up his game lest he will bashed too.
Such a bad day, my dear SE lost the final and Kansas City playing trash in the superbowl 9-0 so far against the San Francisco, make I go sleep I beg, enough for this bad Sunday.
In truth,our players were mentally, physically and psychologically drained and fatigued from the demanding system that the coach forced them to play.They played six matches with that demanding system.After south Africa badly exposed that system, one thought that he would have switched to 442.To have one extra man in midfield to match the ivorian who complete ran the midfield and also a strike partner for Osimhen who played all games apart from that of Equitorial Guinea facing his team! often isolated badly.The wing backs Aina and Zaidu were evidently very tired from the grounds they have to cover yet the coach left them instead of bringing in Osayi Samuel, Awaziem or Bruno who would have matched Adingra strength for strength.
Going forward, we must look for a new creative midfielder as iwobi is getting overwhelmed maybe because of the system played.But he needs
competition.Musa should retire now,
Aribo and Chukweueze should be given time off.Tosin of Fulham, Dagger and Frederick of flying eagles .
if Peserio want to leave, let him go and bring in Ammuneke.He will restore our expansive wing and robust midfield play.Peserio went to war with only one strategy and did not trust most of his soldiers.
Nigerian football is not based on deep defending, it worked for a while, but when South Africa badly exposed us with that system with ball over the top and close midfield play and dominance, the coach should have changed system but he did not and our technical department did not call him to order.Hw was outplayed and out thought by a rookie coach
@ehi, very much on point!
Great that we reached the final but Mr. Peseiro’s judgement in terms of player-invitation, selection and tactics is questionable at best.
Took less than allowed number of players to a long, exhausting tournament. Handicapped himself and the team by taking very few mid-fielders.
I believe that if not for the public outcry, Stanley Nwabali would not have been invited to camp, never mind taken to the tournament and this despite Uzoho’s glaring inadequacies from match to match.
Itis pertinent to note that Nigeria has never qualified for any major tournament, nor won one with the type of football we played in The Ivory Coast.
Honestly you have time responding to this pathetic fool. All tournament he was mute, now the team lost he was to show us his ugly head. It’s just shows he is a sore loser. The team kept proving him wrong with his yeye stats he was presenting here.
Yes i will fault the coach on this one. He didn’t learn a lesson from the last match, SA really exposed us and that should have sent a warning to the coach that he need to twist a tactics a bit. I had expected at list terem to start to put pressure on the ivorian defense. Well better luck next time.
Most comment here does not reflect the whole tournament b4 the tournament nobody give the coach chance even thought of reaching the final , my people the only match lost you are now blaming the coach. When eguovon was the coach he never pass the first round both in Africa cup and world cup .this coach use the best tactics to suit this team bcos they are not good enough and only 5 player deserve to be in the nigeria team the rest should retire , you have to keep the coach to build for the next tournament