Wilfred Ndidi: The Rise of a Young Star

Leicester football club has had a really great season so far, and this is in part thanks to some up-and-coming talent, especially Wilfred Ndidi. There is currently an excellent chance that they will finish in the top four places in the English Premier League with plenty of fan’s betting in their favour. So just who is this young player, and why has CIES Football Observatory proclaimed him the 13th best player of this season and the third-best player in the whole of England?

A Quiet Midfielder

At just 24 years old, this Nigerian football player is making waves thanks to his incredible long-range strikes and his fantastic ability to defend. As well as playing for Leicester City who he joined in 2017, he also plays for his national team of Nigeria. Before coming to Leicester, he was playing for Genk, the Belgian football team who signed him on his 18th birthday. He spent two successful years there before being poached to wear the number 25 shirt on a contract that sees him settled until at least June 2022. His talent has been evident since early on when he was picked to represent Nigeria even as an under 17 player. He also played his first international matches at senior level in both the 2018 FIFA World Cup as well as the 2019 CAF African Cup of nations.

An Excellent Start

There is little doubt that Claudio Ranieri will be pleased with his decision to sign Nidi, who first played for the team against Everton, where they won 2/1 in an Emirates FA Cup game. In his first season with the club, he was named Young Player of the Season. It was undoubtedly a busy introduction to professional level football as in his first few games; he was also picked to play in Champions League games against formidable clubs like FC Silvia and Atletico Madrid.

He certainly didn’t slow down any with his second season seeing him named Premier league’s top tackler beating both Everton’s Idrissa Gueye and former Leicester player N’Golo Kante. Unsurprisingly this is the kind of performance that once more got him named Young Player of the Season for the second year running. His record went unbeaten in the 2018/19 season, where he once more topped the Premier League for tackling. In his international position, he also played the required 7 Africa Cup of Nations fixtures for Nigeria to see them through to the semi-finals, where they lost to Algeria.

Continued Development

He has continued to impress both management and fans since then, although there was a brief injury that took him off the field around Christmas of the 2019/20 season. Because he has somewhat of a supporting role, he doesn’t tend to capture the limelight or the headlines like other players. Still, many pundits undoubtedly consider him to be one of the best footballers in Europe at the moment.

When you are ranked 13th in the world, you can certainly be sure that you are valued. Number one in the world currently goes to Lionel Messi, who, of course, is a much more experienced and older player. Being ranked third in the UK has meant, in fact, this Nigerian midfielder kicks other big names like Harry Kane, Thiago Alcantara, and Luke Shaw back down the list somewhat. Of course, all of this will raise concerns that he will become a popular choice for transfer windows, but it is unlikely the governor would let him go.

There have been some profound changes in management since Claudio Ranieri signed him in his last outing as manager for the club. Still, Brendan Rodgers, the current manager who took over in February 2019, is in little doubt that this player is vital to his team moving forward. While there have been a few caretaker managers, Craig Shakespeare, Claude Puel and now Brendan Rodgers are all full managers, and during all of their times at the club, they have had nothing but high praise for this youngster.

No Stopping

Assuming Leicester do secure their place in the Champions League next year, he will undoubtedly be a continued asset. It looks almost sure that Manchester City is going to take the top spot, sitting 10 points clear of Manchester United. At one stage, it seemed likely that the club would have to settle for 4th place; however, having just beaten Man United And recovering from a two-game loss that moved them into third above Chelsea, only time will tell. It is pretty likely that he will remain an essential pick for every game provided he stays match fit, and since he joined the club, he has played in over 130 Premier League matches.

So far this season, he has played in 21 matches scoring one goal, providing five assists and receiving five yellow cards. He has also played four games in the Europa League, where he received one yellow card. However, none of these misdemeanours is enough to stop him from being regularly selected to start the game, and he is a popular player both in the dressing room and on the field. There are certainly plenty of people watching this young talent, and he has both Juventus and Manchester United looking to try and poach him in the future, and we are pretty sure they will not be the only ones if he carries on the path he is going.