Loyal Nigerian football fans have been left scratching their heads of late after the Confederation of Africa Football’s (CAF) decision not to include Leicester City midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi in its ‘Best XI’ list of African footballers over the last 12 months.
The 28th CAF Awards were recently staged in Hurghada, Egypt, celebrating the most successful African stars to make their mark, both at home and overseas. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Sadio Mane took the overall crown as Africa’s Player of the Year, followed by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Liverpool team-mate, Mohamed Salah and Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez.
Just hours after the awards evening, CAF published its Best XI of 2019 and surprisingly omitted Ndidi in their holding midfield role. Instead, the Best XI contained Paris Saint-Germain’s Idrissa Gueye, supported by Mahrez and Hakim Ziyech. It’s something of a mystifying decision when you consider just how important Ndidi has been for both club and country. Ndidi has ranked number-one in both the English Premier League (EPL) and last year’s Africa Cup of Nations for the most tackles and interceptions, underlining his reputation as a powerful defensive shield.
In fact, it was largely thanks to Ndidi’s positional sense and mature displays that the Super Eagles were able to finish third overall in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations. Ndidi’s ability to link defence and attack was one of the main reasons why Leicester City secured his services back in January 2017. The £17m deal seemed quite a big fee considering the Nigerian had only played two seasons in the Belgian top flight prior to his transfer, but his value has since risen three or four-fold, becoming the natural long-term replacement to N’Golo Kante.
Ndidi has cemented himself as a genuine powerhouse in the EPL
Ndidi’s displays under new Foxes boss, Brendan Rodgers have taken the Nigerian to yet another level. His assuredness has enabled City’s more creative, forward-thinking players to do their best work in the final third. The likes of James Maddison have thrived due to their diminished defensive responsibilities, allowing Leicester to play firmly on the front foot.
Leicester have continued to defy the pre-season predictions of sportsbooks and their traders by challenging Manchester City for second place behind runaway leaders, Liverpool. Much of that is down to the defensive solidity provided by Ndidi. Even if they don’t quite manage a top two finish, the Foxes are still well on track for Champions League qualification. According to MarathonBet, Brendan Rodgers’ men are 1/10 on to clinch a top four place come May.
The one saving grace for Ndidi was that the 23-year-old was recognised by his compatriots for his fantastic 2019. Despite missing out on the CAF’s Team of the Year, Ndidi was named Nigeria’s Footballer of the Year at the Ballers Awards. Ndidi fought off competition for the number-one spot from the likes of Victor Osimhen (Lille), Samuel Chukwueze (Villarreal) and Odion Ighalo (Shanghai Shenhua). Ndidi took to his personal Twitter account to say that he felt very “privileged” to have won the award, humbly thanking his teammates “both in the National team and at Leicester City” for helping him secure the prize.
Ndidi will be looking to finish the 2019/20 EPL campaign strong in Leicester colours. Although he is currently experiencing a spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on an injury. Prior to the surgery, Ndidi had been a virtual ever-present in the Foxes’ line-up, playing 20 of City’s first 21 EPL fixtures this term.
His absence has already been felt in the Leicester squad, having been missing from Brendan Rodgers’ devastating 4-1-4-1 system in the Foxes’ 2-1 home defeat to Southampton. Getting Ndidi back fit will be Rodgers’ number-one priority in the coming weeks, to give his more expansive stars a chance to shine again.
It might be interesting to see whether any potential suitors come calling for Ndidi in the summer. Arsenal are rumoured to be keen to reshape their midfield, with the likes of Lucas Torreira failing to live up to expectations in a Gunners’ shirt. Ndidi could finally be the Gunners’ replacement for Patrick Vieira, with Arsenal never having replaced the Frenchman’s physical presence and reading of the game since his departure.
