Full name Onyinye Wilfred Ndidi Years Team Date joined January 2015 Number 25 Height 1.81 m | Playing position Role Footballer Place of birth Nigeria Name Wilfred Ndidi | |
Date of birth (1996-12-16) 16 December 1996 (age 19) Current teams K.R.C. Genk (#25 / Defender), Nigeria national under-20 football team (Defender) | ||
WILFRED NDIDI - Incredible Skills, Tackles, Passes & Runs - 2017/2018 (HD)
Onyinye Wilfred Ndidi (born 16 December 1996), known as Wilfred Ndidi, is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays for Premier League club Leicester City and the Nigeria national team as a midfielder. He is known for his versatility and can play across the back line and in midfield.
Contents
- WILFRED NDIDI Incredible Skills Tackles Passes Runs 20172018 HD
- Youth career
- Genk
- Leicester City
- International career
- Career statistics
- References
Youth career
Ndidi spent his youth years at Nath Boys Academy in Lagos. Ndidi's development saw him start out as a forward or striker. He then began to play as a central defender for Nigeria's youth teams and at the 2013 African U-17 Championship. He won numerous accolades while at Nath Boys.
Genk
Ndidi made his Belgian Pro League debut with Genk on 31 January 2015 against Charleroi in a 1–0 away defeat. He played the first 74 minutes of the game, before being substituted for Jarne Vrijsen. He played a full back role in that game before returning to the centre-back position he played at the Nath Boys academy. He displayed a wide range of passing and shooting and began to be deployed as a central midfielder for the rest of the season.
During the Belgian League play-off game against Club Brugge, Ndidi scored a long-range goal, which was named the goal of the season in the Belgian league. After receiving an attempted-clearance outside the penalty box, he lofted the ball smoothly over an opposing player before unleashing a ferocious volley into the top right corner. The ball was adjudged to be travelling at over 111 km/h. He scored two more goals before the end of the play-offs including another volley from outside the box against Anderlecht in a 5–2 win. He received the award as the third-best young player in the Belgian league for the 2015–16 season.
Leicester City
On 3 December 2016, Genk agreed a £17 million transfer deal with English champions Leicester City. The deal was confirmed on 5 January 2017.
Ndidi made his debut for the club on 7 January 2017, in a 2–1 win against Everton in the third round of the FA Cup. He made his first Premier League start on 14 January 2017 against Chelsea at home in a 3–0 defeat. In the English FA Cup game against Derby County on 8 February 2017, Ndidi came on in the first half of extra time and scored his first goal for Leicester through a long-range shot. In a 3-1 win over Liverpool on 27 February 2017, Ndidi won 11 of his 14 tackles, a feat bettered only by Chelsea's N'Golo Kanté who made 14 tackles against the same club in January.
International career
Ndidi was part of the Nigerian youth setup during his time at Nathaniel Boys of Lagos. While playing the African U-17 Championship with Nigeria, he was excluded along with two other players from the competition as a precaution, following an MRI age test that suggested he was just slightly above the threshold. Notwithstanding, he joined up with his teammates in the U-20 team the following year, forming the bedrock of the midfield. He was called up to the Senior Nigeria national football team on October 8, 2015, making his debut in the friendly game against DR Congo, and playing again a few days later in the 3–0 win against Cameroon, when he replaced John Obi Mikel in the 63rd minute.
He was selected by Nigeria for their 35-man provisional squad for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Career statistics
