My dad never wanted me to play football’ – Leicester City/Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi reveals
“My parents are very, very happy. Although, my dad never wanted me to play. He wanted me to go to school instead but I didn’t listen,” he said. “I was always just playing football.
“When you are in the game, you have great opportunities so I don’t really try to look where I want to be. I just want to play and do my best. If I work hard, it will open doors to get me wherever God wants me to be.”
Ndidi has been compared to N’Golo Kante due to their defensive abilities and massive work rate, but Ndidi isn’t perturbed by the comparison saying he plays his own game.“No, I have never put myself in Kante’s shoes,” Ndidi told Goal. “I didn’t look to play like him when I arrived. I just came here to play my own game. I just feel like a different player to him.
“He is a good player, he has proved that he’s great this season. With the support of others, you can do anything you want and you can do it here.”
Talking about former manager, Claudio Ranieri, the manager who bought him and brought him to England, Ndidi told Goal.“For Ranieri, I felt bad,” he said. “I don’t really talk about managers though. I am just here to play my football. It was sad that he left, though, because he brought me here but I just need to focus on my game. I am still playing.
“It is just football, everything became good. Everything started to come together. I never experienced any problems in the dressing room with any players.
“We were always happy in the dressing room and looking forward to games. Optimistic. We were focused on trying to win. When we lost, everyone was down, but I didn’t notice anything personally. I didn’t see anything strange.”
Talking about his move to Leicester from Belgium, where he played with Genk, Ndidi said:“I have this mind to adapt quickly,” . “I didn’t find it very difficult. It is easy because everybody speaks English. I have a team-mate Ahmed Musa from Nigeria, which helps also.
