Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong has maintained that the team is going to remain strong despite the criticisms and social media attacks they have gotten for their unimpressive performances in recent months, Soccernet.ng reports.
Nigeria are in a precarious situation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers due to their poor start, which saw them pick just three points from their first four games against Benin, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
Due to their inconsistency, the team has always gotten a lot of flack and abuse from fans. In fact, many fans have lost interest in the team.
However, they have an opportunity to prove their worth on Friday and next Tuesday, when they trade tackles with Rwanda and Zimbabwe in the continuation of the World Cup qualifiers.
Most of the current crop of Super Eagles players have never played at the World Cup, so they will be under pressure to get the win on Friday so Nigeria can get back on track. Also, they would avoid whatsoever backlash that comes from the fans.
But Super Eagles captain Troost-Ekong maintains that the only pressure they feel is from within and not from the fans or people outside the team.
“We have thick skin now, I’m used to the insults that come. If you want to play for Nigeria that has up to 300 million critics and supporters, we try to use that as a power,” Troost-Ekong said, per Pooja Media.
“I said to the players when we had a meeting that this pressure is a privilege. Whenever I have the Super Eagles badge on my chest, it means so much to me, and when you want to do great things with a great team, that is part of it.
“We have big characters in the team, there’s no extra feeding from the outside, the only pressure we have is within because we want to prove to everyone that we can do better and that we should be at the World Cup. It only matters what the coach says and what we say to each other.
Troost-Ekong says the team is used to the insults as we have over 300m critics & supporters in Nigeria. #PoojaInRwanda pic.twitter.com/9pad4Aimpo
— POOJA!!! (@PoojaMedia) March 20, 2025
A win for the Super Eagles would get the monkeys off their back
Whether the Super Eagles feel the pressure from inside or within, they have to return to winning ways in the qualifiers very soon.
Nigeria fans have always criticised them due to their underwhelming results. But a good win against Rwanda would get the fans back behind them.
Recall how they were well-praised during their impressive run at the 2023 African Cup of Nations? they will get to that level again if they do well in their upcoming games.