Wilfred Ndidi names his top 3 African talents in the Premier League

It’s been a Premier League season of tough lessons for Leicester City.

Despite relegation being confirmed, the Foxes are focused on finishing strong. Ahead of their weekend clash with Ipswich, Showmax caught up with midfield maestro Wilfred Ndidi.

The Nigeria-born midfielder shares his honest reflections on a challenging campaign and offers insights into playing alongside the legendary Jamie Vardy.

Catch Leicester City v Ipswich Town live on Showmax Premier League & SuperSport on Sunday, 18 May 2025 at 16:00.

The most prominent news from Leicester City is the departure of club icon Jamie Vardy at the end of this season. Could you reflect on your experience sharing the dressing room and the pitch with a player widely regarded as one of the Premier League’s greatest ever strikers?

It’s been an honour. It’s been a pleasure to be a teammate with Jamie Vardy. Even after football, you’d be like, oh, I play with Jamie Vardy. I feel like it’s a privilege and a pleasure to play alongside him. And he’s been amazing for years. He’s been an amazing guy, family man, so he’s mentally strong. I think he’s one of the strongest guys I’ve seen mentally in the head.

He’s really, really strong. I admire him. It’s been a couple of great, great years with him. Ups and downs, but he’s still Jamie Vardy.

Jamie’s on-camera persona suggests a pretty lively character. Is this consistent with his off-field demeanour within the squad?

Oh, yeah, the way he is on-camera and how he expresses himself, he’s the same guy. You have to be on your toes when he’s just around. There might be something coming up, and you drop your guard, Vards might just scare you or something. He’s really annoying in a good way, he just keeps the whole mood alive.

He’s that guy, and he tries to imitate things, and make it fun. Even trying to learn Pidgin, Nigerian – he learns the words, and then uses it on the Nigerian guys around with me, he just speaks and they’ll be like, oh, what’s he say? It’s Jamie Vardy! So, he’s a great guy, he’s a great, great guy.

This season has presented significant challenges for Leicester City. How would you analyse the key factors of the campaign and what constructive takeaways can you and your teammates really carry forward?

I feel like we gave up too quick when it comes to games. As soon as we concede one goal, the heads go down. I think that shouldn’t happen going forward. I think that’s my take on things: we should look forward to going forward, you know.

Personally, looking back at the season, is there a particular Leicester City match that stands out as your most memorable? And what made that specific game so significant for you?

I would say the Crystal Palace game away. We drew 2-2 and I got two assists. I was muted the whole game, like, muted before the game. I didn’t speak to anyone. I didn’t want to speak to anyone. I was just going through some things and then I went in the game and I had two assists. That was a good game.

Which Premier League team’s overall performance and approach have impressed you the most throughout the course of this season?

I would say Nottingham Forest. They just stick to the basics and just get the goals, defend, get the goals, and that’s what they need.

Considering the individual battles you’ve faced, which Premier League player has posed the most significant challenge for you this season?

I can’t really think of a game where I felt a challenge. I’ll just say the last game against Wolves. Matthias Cunha. He’s a good player. He was everywhere. He was doing his thing.

From a tactical perspective, which Premier League team has been the most formidable opponent to compete against this season?

I would say Manchester City away. It was a difficult game. We tried as much as we could to get close to the ball, but we were not getting the balls. It was difficult because they were moving the ball really, really fast and the positioning was great.

Looking ahead, would you say that an immediate return to the Premier League is now the primary and unequivocal objective for Leicester City?

Of course. But first, we have to learn from this. If we don’t learn from this, we’re just wasting our time. We just have to learn from this season.

Could you share your insights on the experience of working with the guidance and under the leadership of Ruvan Iskander?

He’s been a great manager. He’s been amazing. Yeah, things didn’t work out, but I would say he felt alone. When he first came, the expectation was high. And when the results were not going our way, there was no backing. I feel like they should have given him more time. But he’s an amazing manager. Amazing guy. And he interacts with everyone freely.

With the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, how much are you looking forward to joining the Nigerian national team? What significance does representing your country in such a prestigious continental tournament hold for you?

It’s a privilege to represent Nigeria. It’s an honour. Once you’re called up, it’s a goosebumps kind of feeling. And the games when the national team is going on, it’s one thing where your family back home are really, really proud. So I think it’s an amazing thing. But we’re not thinking about AFCON right now. We’re focusing on trying to qualify for the World Cup, which is the most important of the moments. And then we look forward to the AFCON.

The Premier League has showcased numerous talented African players this season. Could you identify the top three African players who have particularly impressed you with their performances?

Ola Aina, Mo Salah, and then I would say Alex Iwobi. Not because he is Nigerian. All I know is he has great character. It’s amazing. He’s that guy that’s got zero problems. I’m not saying he doesn’t have one, but he’s just trying to solve people’s problems with his own way of vibes. He’s done really, really well. He’s also one of the fastest players I’ve seen. He doesn’t look it, but he is.

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