Ndidi’s success story is worthy of note because in Nigeria and maybe some other parts of the world, it’s quite easy for children born and bred with a silver spoon to achieve success and do it at a very early stage in their lives. But for a child born into a family living in penury, the reverse is the case.
This has made the success story of every successful individual to be different from the other. That said, the Nigerian Football jurisdiction comprises of many players with the aforementioned tale.
When talking about players that once lived in abject poverty, so much that life became extremely difficult and they had to do menial jobs to survive, names like that of the new prince of Naples, Victor Osimhen, Ex-Super Eagles winger, Victor Moses would always crop up.
However, it’s nobody’s fault that these players had to be brought up this way; it’s the majesty about life and nature – it will never be fair on anyone. Or simply put “Life is not balanced”.
And despite the unfairness of life, when one becomes a successful individual, life then becomes sweet.
Wilfred Onyinye Ndidi is another player that lived a rigorous life as a child, born and raised in a barrack in the South Western region of Nigeria, Lagos State precisely.
Barracks in Nigeria are not always a suitable environment to raise a child. It’s neither a home of rich parents nor an abode of convenience for the children around; and this is not because it’s a home for police officers, but how difficult life can be for the inhabitants living there-in.
The cagey building, lack of electricity, and other basic amenities that ordinarily should make life pretty easy for residents was what Ndidi had to adapt, cope, and live with. So, Ndidi’s journey to stardom was a very rough one at the barracks.
READ ALSO: Francis Kone: The Humble Footballer Who Has Saved The Lives Of Four Players In His 8-year Career
When he was a teenager, Wilfred Ndidi was very hard-working. He would do other side jobs alongside playing football which was really a tedious task. But he never gave room for laziness neither did he give up, perhaps the hope for a better future was the dynamism.
Apparently, the hard-working Ndidi the world sees on the pitch of play today was never lazy right from when he was a teenager. He sold groundnut in the streets and roads of Lagos to the extent that he was nicknamed “Omo Elepa” – meaning the groundnut boy.
He somehow found his way into Nathaniel Boys of Lagos, he was with this academy when he joined the Nigerian Youth team. However, his hope of getting to represent Nigeria at the African U-17 Championship was dashed following an MRI age test that suggested he was just slightly above the threshold. Thus, he alongside two other players were dumped from the squad.
Again, Ndidi was strong enough to face the disappointment of getting dumped for a national assignment at a very tender age. A year after, he joined his contemporaries in the U-20 team and he became the solid rock in the midfield.
He was given the invitation to the Senior National Team in October 2015, with his debut in the friendly game against DR Congo, as well as his second appearance in Nigeria’s 3-0 win against Cameroon when he replaced John Obi Mikel in the 63rd minute.
Ndidi linked up with KRC Genk of Belgium in 2017. And because of his versatility, he was able to play several defensive and midfield positions in his first season in Belgium. With that, he gained the trust of the manager of the team and also the overwhelming love of the fans.
Ndidi scored four goals in sixty-five appearances during his two years stint at Genk.
His prowess on and off the ball has robbed him of that goal-scoring ability. But he’s sure a very hard defensive midfielder to play against. He doesn’t score many goals and with his physicality and a strong tackling style, he won’t make the opponent enjoy attacking – very economical.
So, Leicester City found a treasure trove in Ndidi as Genk accepted a £17m transfer fee for the Nigerian international in December 2016, and that was the icing on the cake for the Nigerian.
READ ALSO: Ajegunle To Stardom: 10 Nigerian Football Stars Who Rose From The Slum
As a midfielder, joining a league that houses some of the best midfielders in the world is no mean feat. And since he made his debut against Everton in January 2017, Ndidi has proved to be another gem that Leicester’s shrewd scouting team have unearthed after talents like N’golo Kanté, Riyad Mahrez, Jamie Vardy et all.
As it stands, there’s always a deep hole when Ndidi isn’t in the middle of the park for the foxes because things will definitely get messy and this has happened consistently in the just-concluded season.
Expect him to continue to improve, the truth is that Wilfred Ndidi is already one of the best players in his position in the Premier League. Leicester could not do it without him.
In a couple of years to come, the once “Omo Elepa” will be in the colors of another big club in Europe and this is as a result of his intelligence, hard work, and resilience which may be found wanting in other players of Ndidi’s age range.
It has been observed by people close to the heart of Gernot Rohr’s team, Ndidi, that he’s a man of very few words off the pitch.
