Football: Wilfred Ndidi selects his top 3 African players in the 2024-25 Premier League season
Ndidi chooses standout African players and opens up on Foxes’ EPL struggles
It’s been tough being a Leicester City fan over the last decade, as season-on-season brings the Foxes supporters a rollercoaster of emotions, ranging from immense joy to massive disappointment.
In 2015-16, the Foxes managed the almost unbelievable achievement of winning the Premier League title as 5000/1 outsiders and went on to claim the FA Cup title in 2020/21, having not featured in the final since 1969.
However, the very next season, the team was relegated from the top flight, and despite making it back to England’s top tier at the first time of asking, heartbreak struck again, as they suffered the drop this season, which confirmed our Premier League prediction around the relegation scrap.
Despite this, Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi took the time to speak to the media to discuss the Foxes' struggles in 2024-25, revealing that one of the main reasons behind their downfall was giving up too quickly, especially after conceding the first goal in matches.
Asked to identify his top three African players of the 2024-25 Premier League season, Ndidi confirmed:
“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.”
Ndidi also praised Nottingham Forest for their excellent season, in which they secured European football, while picking out Matheus Cunha as one of the players he felt was the most challenging to come up against this term.
Ndidi discusses plans for Nigeria national team
In terms of international football, Ndidi mentioned that he is eager to return to the Super Eagles setup for the Africa Cup of Nations, but also admitted that their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign remains their primary focus.
“It’s a privilege to represent Nigeria. It’s an honour. Once you’re called up, it’s a goosebumps kind of feeling. The national team games—it’s one thing where your family back home are really proud. But we’re focusing on trying to qualify for the World Cup first. That’s the most important thing right now.”
Eric Chelle’s side are languishing in fourth place in Group C of their qualifiers, having only won one of their six matches to date, which sees them trailing current group leaders South Africa by six points with four games left to play.
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 13 |
| 2 | Rwanda | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 |
| 3 | Benin | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 7 | −1 | 8 |
| 4 | Nigeria | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| 5 | Lesotho | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | −1 | 6 |
| 6 | Zimbabwe | 6 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 9 | −4 | 4 |
The CAF World Cup qualifiers are set to resume in September, and the Super Eagles have two crucial matches against Rwanda and Bafana Bafana on the horizon, both of which they must win to keep their qualification hopes alive heading to the October games against Lesotho and Benin.
