Former Super Eagles striker Yakubu Aiyegbeni has thrown his weight behind team captain William Troost-Ekong, who has faced a storm of criticism and calls for international retirement following Nigeria’s shaky World Cup qualifying run.

Drawing from his own experience of public scorn after his infamous open-goal miss at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Aiyegbeni urged Nigerians to stop targeting individual players when results go wrong.

> “We’re talking about me missing a goal. Now everyone is talking about the captain, Ekong. He scored an own goal. So what? He didn’t mean to. It happens,” Aiyegbeni said. “We are always waiting to blame one or two players. But that’s not the reason we fail to qualify.”

The former Everton forward insisted that Troost-Ekong remains a key leader in the squad and should not be made a scapegoat. Instead, he criticized the Super Eagles’ style of play, saying the team relies too heavily on moments of individual brilliance rather than cohesive football.

> “This boy, Ekong, is a leader. He made mistakes, yes. But look at the way South Africa passed the ball compared to us,” he noted. “We cannot even put six or seven passes together. We just end up kicking it long. That’s not how you build a team. We expect Ademola Lookman or Victor Osimhen to create magic, but football is about unity.”

Troost-Ekong, along with forward Cyriel Dessers, has been subjected to intense online abuse from fans and sections of the media since the draw against South Africa. Aiyegbeni’s words serve as a reminder that football failures are collective—and that leaders deserve support, not vilification.