By Daily Sports Nigeria on September 8, 2025

Benjamin Fredrick was a surprise inclusion in the Super Eagles starting lineup for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Rwanda. While nobody saw that coming, team captain William Troost-Ekong had also made some bold statements about the 20-year-old. ABIODUN ADEWALE writes

“We have a young, talented player who’s going to be the future of Nigeria as a defender, and we have a talented Super Eagle (Moses Simon) who has given him the opportunity to play professional football.”

Those were the words of Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong on the addition of 20-year-old Brentford defender Benjamin Fredrick to the Super Eagles squad for the crucial 2026 World Cup qualifying matches against Rwanda and South Africa.

Troost-Ekong spoke about the lad after just one day of training, having also seen him perform during the Unity Cup in May.

His words resonated with a profound sense of pride and hope, painting a vivid picture of a young defender on the rise, but nobody saw Fredrick taking the place of Troost-Ekong in the crucial match against Rwanda in Uyo on Saturday.

When coach Eric Chelle’s starting lineup for the game was released on Saturday, the choice of the Simoniben Academy product raised eyebrows, and the 20-year-old responded on the pitch.

Fredrick didn’t disappoint, showing great composure to marshal the backline alongside Calvin Bassey, as the Super Eagles claimed a 1-0 win thanks to Tolu Arokodare’s 51st-minute goal.

The Dender loanee was making his second appearance for Nigeria, and he was hardly found wanting defensively. Even when the Rwandans piled a late pressure, he didn’t panic with the ball.

After the game, Chelle didn’t have to defend his choice of starting the 20-year-old in place of the 2023 AFCON MVP.

“This is my choice. I do not need to explain. My job is to make decisions. Winning proves the decision was good.  If I fix something, it is based on my heart and analysis. My technical staff and I evaluate players carefully before deciding,” the coach said.

The new kid at the heart of the Eagles’ defence is a symbol of a new generation, a testament to hard work, and a product of a unique mentorship story within the Nigerian national team.

Fredrick’s journey some years ago at the Simoiben Football Academy, owned by Super Eagles winger, Moses Simon. Sharing the pitch with the Paris FC forward is another story.

By 2022, the defender was ready to be exposed, beginning his journey on loan at ABS Football Club in the Nigeria National League – the second division. In the same year, he was also sent on loan to Nasarawa United in the Nigeria Premier League.

In August 2023, he took bigger steps, joining the Brentford B side, where he worked his way to gaining promotion into the first team ahead of the 2025/26 season. Now he is currently on loan at Belgium side Dender FC, gaining useful first-team experience and has featured in six Belgium Jupiler Pro League games this season.

Sandwiched in between those transfers were appearances for Nigeria’s U-20 team, the Flying Eagles, at the WAFU B Cup, the U-20 AFCON and the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina.

Troost-Ekong’s public endorsement of Frederick is a significant show of confidence. As the team’s leader and an experienced defender himself, Ekong’s opinion carries immense weight.

“Benjamin is a humble, hardworking and very talented defender,” Troost-Ekong told NFF TV.

“I think we are all impressed with what he showed us in the Unity Cup. To win the Unity Cup and come in the last minute to play so well is not easy at all.

“Credit to him for his work and to my teammate, Moses Simon, for giving him the opportunity at his academy before he went to Brentford. It’s things that we love to see.”

Having ticked the box against Jamaica in London and Rwanda in Uyo, Frederick’s big test awaits him in Bloemfontein, as Nigeria go up against group leaders South Africa, needing a win to boost their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

“At just 20, Benjamin Fredrick brings much-needed freshness to the Super Eagles’ ageing centre-back line. Calm, composed and assured on the ball, he combines pace with excellent reading of the game. It’s still early days, but Nigeria may just have an uncut diamond in their ranks,” Enugu-based OAP Mmenyeneabasi Akpan wrote on X.

“The Rwandans didn’t attack us, we would be able to analyse him better against a fearless team like the Bafana Bafana. Let’s wait and see,” Àkànní Olúomo also opined on Facebook.

Another fan, Balogun Ismaila, also said, “He proved that he can start against South Africa.”

At 32, and after 10 years in the Super Eagles, Troost-Ekong’s days in the national team are numbered, and just like other Nigerians, he has seen the future in the young Frederick.

“It’s an amazing story and I’m looking forward to seeing him continue his development and become important for the team,” Troost-Ekong added.

Source Punch Ng

Posted September 8, 2025

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