Super Eagles and Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi speaks on playing with Jamie Vardy, his time in the Premier League and more in this interview with Showmax
Who are the three African players who have stood out to you the most with their performances in the Premier League?
Ola Aina, Mohamed Salah, and then 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.
With the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, how much are you looking forward to joining the Nigerian national team?
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 families 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 thing at the moment. And then we look forward to the AFCON.
What has it been like to share the dressing room and play alongside Jamie Vardy?
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 played 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, a 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.
Is Vardy also lively off the pitch 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.
How would you analyse this season for Leicester City and what can you pick going forward?
I feel like we gave up too quickly 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.
What was your most memorable Leicester match this campaign?
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 impressed you the most 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.
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 game against Wolves. Matthias Cunha. He’s a good player. He was everywhere. He was doing his thing.
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 ball. It was difficult because they were moving the ball really, really fast and the positioning was great.
Would you say that an immediate return to the Premier League is now the primary 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 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. An amazing guy. And he interacts with everyone freely.
