Tag: Wilfred Ndidi

Nigeria and Leicester star player Wilfred Ndidi was visibly over the moon Saturday, as he attracted a star-studded team to the annual Maracana Children’s Fest, which entered its third edition this year. 

The special event bankrolled by the midfielder in collaboration with Nathaniel Idowu Foundation headed by sports enthusiast and business mogul Yemi Idowu, the brain behind the new Maracana Sports Complex, Ajegunle, is a grassroots initiative for hundreds of children.

The grassroots football event, held at the iconic Maracana Stadium in Ajegunle, is part of Ndidi’s initiative to give back to the community and inspire the next generation of football talents.

Planned around the off season of July and December, yesterday’s event was massive, drawing greater children and audiences.

This is not unconnected with the star-studded team that came with Ndidi, as top Super Eagles players, Victor Osimhen, William Troost-Ekong, Victor Boniface, Raphael Onyedika, Frank Onyeka, and Tolu Arokodare came out in full force to support Ndidi at the Maracana Children’s Fest.

The children were thrilled to see their football heroes live in action, and the atmosphere was electric with hope, joy, and unforgettable memories.

It follows Ndidi’s previous involvement in developing the Maracana Stadium, including the unveiling of new facilities with German footballer Karim Adeyemi, and the donation of hostels for young players.

Ndidi has spoken about the importance of grassroots football development and how facilities like Maracana can nurture young talents.

The festival brought together young male and female football talents, offering them a platform to showcase their skills, dream big, and rub shoulders with their football idols.

To the delight of all, the Eagles stars teamed up with youth players in two separate commemorative matches.

Osimhen drew a great applause when he eventually landed, few minutes after Troost-Ekong left the sports complex. Hundreds of young players clung onto him as he decided to walk from the entrance gate to the pitch. The chant of Osimhen rent the air even as the youngsters, who were seeing the player, live for the first time crammed him without any inhibition.

A star struck girl of about five year-old in company of his father, couldn’t contain himself as Osimhen joined others on the field. “I can’t believe I’m seeing Osimhen live. I only see him on television. This is awesome,” she cried while jumping around the pitch unable to hold her happiness.  

 

Speaking after the match, Ndidi said his plan for the children fest was achieved. “I feel very excited that we are here again and we are improving on it. It is very exciting to me seeing the smiles on the faces of the kids. It amazes me. Coming here in June and December for two consecutive years now and seeing the kids returning and brimming with excitement makes me happy.

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“For me as a child, when you see the guys that you see on TV in real life, the feeling is different, out of this world. I have invite some of our colleagues and to also come and see the kids and you could see their excitement walking and talking with the stars they watch on TV. Our focus is on the kids and I believe that we should not miss out on them. It is something for them to look forward to every year and something to talk about when they go to school. It is also something to give them hope. When they see a player like Osimhen like they have done today, it will give them hope and make them to dream to be like Osimhen and aspire to surpass him. They are the future and we should not forget that.”

On the part of Osimhen, he said: “This is not my first time here. Ajegunle has been one of the places that produce great players in the country. It has produced some of the best talents in the game who have played in the Super Eagles and still playing. When Wilfred told me about the initiative I said I would be available and here I am. I give special thanks to Mr Idowu for what he has done because Ajegunle has amazing talents in sports and music and for me to be part of this is an honour. I’m happy to be here.”

Speaking, chairman, Nathaniel Idowu Foundation, Yemi Idowu said he was elated to host as much as seven Super Eagles in one place.  “It’s awesome. There are very few places you can come without people harassing you so much, but here the young and old were just greeting them. That’s the lesson I’m taking away that you can have a multi-pitch facility and you can also have orderliness. We have discussed with them and they are eager to support what Ndidi, who is one of them, is doing here. They are doing well supporting each other. For me, we are happy to continue in the legacy of our father.

We have been doing this for 40 years, and we are happy to put smiles on the faces of these children.”

Super Eagles captain Troost-Ekong who will be hosting the second edition of his foundation’s charity match, today at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, said he was happy to be part of Ndidi’s project. “I am amazed with what I’m seeing here. It is amazing.

This is my first time here and I’m happy to be here. I want to say that Yemi Idowu is doing a great job here and Wilfred Ndidi’s initiative is also good.”  

• By Daniel Akinte

Nigerian midfielder Wilfred Ndidi reflecting on his performances this season as Leicester City suffered second relegation in three years, admitted he sometimes gets ‘carried away’ with trying to attack.

Ndidi feels he could have offered greater protection to Leicester City’s defence as a defensive midfielder.

The midfielder says he feels “terrible” to have suffered relegation with City again and not only thinks the team could have done more in their battle for survival, but that he personally could have been better too.

In some matches this season, Ndidi has had a hybrid role, the Nigerian expected to push forward and help in attack, having made significant strides in that area of his game while playing in a more advanced role under Enzo Maresca in the Championship.

It worked initially, with Ndidi topping the Premier League’s assist charts early in the campaign after setting up four goals in the first six games.

But the 28-year-old feels that trying to provide at the top of the pitch has sometimes seen him neglect defensive duties.

Ndidi has still made 77 tackles this season, putting him 15th in the division, despite missing nearly two months with injury.

But he’s not made anywhere near as many interceptions. It means, for combined tackles and interceptions, he ranks 25th this season. In his first four full years in the Premier League, he was in the top two every season for that stat.

“I feel terrible,” he told talkSPORT, reflecting on relegation. “I feel really bad. I feel we should have done more. There’s no pointing fingers but I feel we should have done more.

“Now we’re going to be dwelling on regret. We have to look to correct these mistakes going forward and learn from this. If we want to go far, we have to learn from this.

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“I feel like I should have done more when it comes to defending. I’m playing in a higher position, but I feel like I should have done more. Even when I’m up there, I should have come back to help.

“This is just me personally, I feel I should have done more when it comes to trying to help the team in defending.

 “I know I’m really good at defending but sometimes I get carried away with trying to get the goal or get an assist for the team, which is also important, but I feel I should have done more when trying to come back to defend.”

Ndidi, who has two years left on his contract, could be one of the players sold by City this summer, having attracted transfer interest from Monaco in January.

A number of players are expected to depart this summer and their places in the side could be filled by some of the homegrown talents coming up through City’s academy, with Jeremy Monga and Jake Evans making their senior debuts over the last month.

Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi  has  apologised  over his missed chance and the country’s draw with Zimbabwe’s Warriors at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo in the crucial World Cup qualifier last Tuesday.

The Super Eagles, in dire need of a win to increase their chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, took the lead against Zimbabwe in the 74th minute as Victor Osimhen scored his third goal in two qualifying games.

But Ndidi’s miss during the game proved costly as the Southern Africans rallied late to level the score line in the dying minutes of the game.

The midfielder’s miss has led to debates on social media platforms, with some maintaining that the Leicester City midfielder could have scored to seal the Super Eagles’ victory while others argued that there is no point casting blames, as the whole team has to take responsibility for the disappointing loss.

In the wake of heavy criticism, the former Genk player replied to a fan who castigated him saying, “Nonsense Ndidi, nothing you sabi play.” The experienced midfielder responded to the supporter’s message on his Instagram story: “Please make una no vex for the chance I miss, Nobody perfect for him job.”

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The disappointing draw against Zimbabwe meant that Nigeria missed an opportunity to climb up to second place with nine points. Instead, the Super Eagles remain fourth on the table with seven points after six games. With just four matches left, doubts are starting to creep in on Nigeria’s chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.

While qualifying for the World Cup remains the primary goal, Ndidi’s focus will shift to the Premier League as Leicester City will travel to face reigning champions Manchester City on Wednesday, April 2. Despite losing six consecutive league games, the relegation battlers will be hoping to upset the champions who have also displayed signs of inconsistency in recent months.

Super Eagles defender Wilfred Ndidi is set  to back to full  training a t his  English Premier League side, Leicester City.

The  Foxes  have been plagued  with rash of injuries  but  sources at the club  have now given  updates on Ndidi  and two others  ahead of their weekend’s clash with fellow relegation battlers Everton.

Mads Hermansen is set to make his comeback from injury this weekend after returning to team training, having missed more than a month with a groin problem he picked up at Newcastle

Hermansen has missed more than a month of football with a groin injury he suffered at Newcastle and no previous date had been placed on his comeback. But he has been involved in team training this week and Ruud van Nistelrooy has said that he should be available for selection at Goodison Park on Saturday.

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But it looks like the match will come too soon for midfielder Wilfred Ndidi though. The Nigerian has been back in partial team training this week after recovering from a hamstring injury he suffered last month, but is not due to be back in full team training until next week, in the build-up to the FA Cup tie at Manchester United.

Ricardo Pereira is back out on the grass as he recovers from his own hamstring injury. But he’s not due to be back in contention until January.

“Ricardo is recovering,” van Nistelrooy said at his press conference on Thursday afternoon. “He’s still in individual training. He’s moved outside with the physios. His rehab is going according to plan.

“Wilfred is partially involved in team training. We’ll hope to bring him into full team training next week. Mads has been back in team training this week. All being well, he will be available for selection.”

The City manager said there are no further injury problems for him as immediate concerns. With Hermansen back, it means there will just be three players out in Ndidi, Ricardo and Abdul Fatawu (knee).

Super Eagles and Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is looking forward to raising more awareness on young Nigerian footballers by investing and nurturing young talents.  Speaking in Lagos, Ndidi who returned to Maracana Sport Complex in December, the second time in six months, announced his intention to prioritise the development of youth football in Nigeria in 2025.

Ndidi stated, “I want to focus on academy football in Nigeria. That’s where everyone is missing out based on the fact that you cannot name a 16-year-old who plays competitive football every weekend in Nigeria.”

He drew comparisons with European teams, noting, “If you look at European teams, you can name 12-year-olds, and 14-year-olds playing games every week.”

Ndidi reflected on his own experiences, saying, “I am a product of the Lagos Junior League where we played in local government leagues with academy players. We played every weekend and we got the opportunity to travel to play the likes of Hull City Academy, Celtic Academy and the like, so those competitive games prepared us for games to come in Europe.”

He expressed concerns that the focus is often on established players rather than youth development, stating, “At the moment, everyone is focused on the end product and players playing abroad, but we forget about the young ones who want to play football.”

Ndidi also emphasized the importance of education, advising young players, “I always tell the kids not to focus all their energy on football alone but also to go to school because the opportunity to become a professional footballer is really slim.”

He concluded by outlining his goals for 2025, saying, “That’s my aim in 2025. My main focus is to invest in young players and teach them how to understand the dynamics of football at a young age and not necessarily play for agents.”

OWN Foundation

Similarly, he noted that he would continue to touch lives of young Nigerians through his foundation; OWN Foundation and other projects.    

 “OWN Foundation is just an idea of trying to give back. I was also in Ajegunle on December 26, 2024 for another programme that is not part of part of OWN Foundation.

This is just a project where we try to put smiles on face. OWN Foundation reaches out to different aspects like kids.

The Christmas get-together is one just for kids and the ideas is to put smiles on their faces and create memories for them. We did one in May, where they all came to play football.

But the Boxing Day funfair was to create memories of the Christmas period. We tend to create memories more like, you know, I can remember some Christmas when I was a kid too and the good memories. So it’s just about creating memories and seeing the smiles on their faces, which is very good. If you do for adults, the kids might not see it. If you do for kids, the adults will see it. So I feel like this is the way to go and another way of touching lives.

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Reminded that he was also around in May of 2024, he said he was happy to return to Ajegunle and spend beautiful moments with children.

“Yes, like I said earlier, it’s also about creating memories. They won’t forget this for a long time. The will grow with this memory, which is actually good. This is also not about football. This is just about the festive period and we want them to enjoy themselves. It is not about football or career. Just to make them feel like kids and enjoy the moments while creating memories. Many of them we not forget this memories for a long time and it will help shape their future too.

And the ones we do with football. You know I’m a product of academy and youth football like Junior League. We tend to like forget about the kids and focus more on the end products. But if we try to focus on the kids more, you develop people in a better idea and a better atmosphere for them to prepare them for the future. So this is just what we’re trying to do. This is why we put this together.”

Looking back, Ndidi he’s happy to do this even though he did not enjoy this kind of opportunity growing up. 

“No, I didn’t. I didn’t have this kind of opportunity growing up. I grew up in the Barrack. We don’t have this kind of opportunity. We tend to spend Christmas in a different way growing up. We usually cook rice which we share with our neighbours. There’s a particular Christmas clothe that you have to wear and go out. You go to your neighbours house to say Merry Christmas. Sometimes they give you gifts, sometimes they don’t give you. It’s just a joyous moment.

“But, what we are creating here will reach out to more children. We do our things individually then, but this is different and will create better memories, because they are all coming together in an atmosphere of funfair. Coming together is actually more fun by just going individually.”

On the choice of Ajegunle, the Leicester midfielder said he wants to rekindle the old Ajegunle tradition of birthing stars and talented youths in sports and entertainment.        

“And why not Ajegunle? I’m a Nigerian, I grew up here. This is my country, this is my fatherland, and this is my motherland. It’s just something that I have to do, you know, I know it’s not compulsory. People may feel like he doesn’t have to come. For me it’s by choice. It’s my choice. But I feel like why would I want to do it in the U.K when I can do it here? There’s more people who need it here than over there.

“Ajegunle has brought out like so many stars in the future. And I feel like, you know, when I was growing up, I could hear names. Yeah. Even before I got to the national team, I’ve been hearing names of popular national teams’ players that came out of Ajegunle. But, that has dwindled in a way and so, I feel like coming back and trying to make this, bring back the good old times. It’s not just Ajegunle. Ajegunle is the center of youth football while I was growing up. It used to be the heart of football. So I feel like those things are not there anymore. I want to help bring back that feeling by supporting projects involving children and youths.”

Going forward, Ndidi pointed through his foundation and other partnerships, he would escalate youth empowerment projects this year.

“So the thing is, before we start something, we actually think of where we’re going. So the Maracana Sport Complex is there already, the hostels are there. So this is like long term projects. So, we hope to continue what we are doing and trust it would impact them positively. It’s not about the money, it’s not about the time or anything. If there’s time, we try to create time and come. But it’s not just about the money, it’s about the development which is very, very key. The main aspect is just the development,” Ndidi added.   

Leicester City head coach, Ruud van Nistelrooy, has confirmed that Super Eagles midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi remains on the sidelines and will not be  available for the home game against  Fulham at the King Power Stadium.

Ndidi is yet to feature for the Foxes since he got injured late last year and  ahead of  the visiting  Cottagers, Nistelrooy noted that Ndidi and others on the treatment table have no chance to recover before the game.

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“There’s no injury news from (Wednesday) game and no players coming back for Saturday,” the 48-year-old confirmed. “We don’t have a date yet [for Hermansen]. It’s a working progress on his rehab.

“He’s making small steps in the right direction at the moment, so hopefully sometime next week we could get an update on his future and when he could be back.”

Leicester City will be hoping to halt their six games losing streak when they host Fulham complete with the Nigerian  duo of  Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi.