AFCON 2013 winner with the Super Eagles, John Obi Mikel has his eyebrows raised about the sudden retirement of William Troost-Ekong from the Nigerian National team.

Ekong led the Super Eagles to boycott training in Morocco last month over unpaid dues from the NFF ahead of their World Cup qualifier against Gabon.

While the 32-year-old came off the bench during extra time against Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang's side, he was left on the bench as Nigeria went into a penalty shoot-out against DR Congo, despite being the first team penalty taker, raising further questions.

Ultimately, the Super Eagles were knocked out, and a fate away from the Mundial was sealed. A few weeks later, with the AFCON on the horizon, the former Tottenham Hotspur defender announced his exit from the Super Eagles, bowing out after 83 caps.

Nigeria's AFCON Preparations: Mikel questions Ekong's retirement
The Super Eagles have been drawn into AFCON Group C alongside Tunisia, Tanzania and Uganda, but the preparations leading up to the competition have been substantial for Nigeria, and this made the ex-Super Eagles captain livid.

“The way we're building up to this tournament so far looks like a sh** show, to be honest,” Mikel said on the Obi One podcast.

“You cannot have your team captain; leader retire three weeks leading up to a major tournament. You cannot have that happen.

The one-time UEFA Champions League winner believes there's a strong backstory behind Ekong's timing, especially with the AFCON tournament on the horizon.
“Something is going on there that's not been made public. Nobody knows what's going on, but I think there's something.

“I know Troost-Ekong really well, and he's not the sort of guy who quits. He's a very passionate guy; he loves the country.

WI was there when a young Ekong came into the national team [in 2015], and saw how passionate he was, and I still believe he's very passionate.

“For him to quit three weeks before the tournament, something is not adding up. Even if he's no longer a starter, I know he's not a selfish guy.

“I believe he's a leader who offers his experience to the younger players and gives his vital opinions on how the team should play.

However, Ekong has clarified that his exit from the National team wasn't based on external factors, but a decision he'd brooded over for a while.

Leon Balogun : Criticized the NFF over Horrible Management of Nigerian Football and Never Got called Up again.

Troost-Ekong : Let the world know The Super Eagles were owed For 6 Years by The NFF and all of a sudden Decided To retire.

When You expose The NFF, Things Happen. pic.twitter.com/1koy5zXLDi

— Mr. Nigerian Football (@AJSilverCFC) December 5, 2025

Still, Mikel holds the NFF for the poor way they've handled issues regarding finances in the squad, considering Eric Chelle is being owed his wages.

“The manager also hasn't been paid for three months. It's building up to a sh** show.

“You should go into the tournament with good vibes, but this NFF board know how to screw everything up, and it's what they did during the qualifiers of the World Cup. Everything they did has been detrimental to the team.

“This is where you make sure the manager and the players are happy. They should've learned their lessons, but they mess it up even more. Only Nigeria does that,” the two-time English Premier League winner concluded.

Nigeria's first AFCON 2025 game will be played against Tanzania on the 23rd of December at the Complexe Sportif de Fès.