Mikel Obi is my football idol – Wilfred Ndidi

Super Eagles sensational midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi, has revealed that former national team captain, Mikel Obi, is his childhood hero.

Ndidi made this known recently while speaking on a Twitter space hosted by FanBants.

Ndidi said: “Mikel. Because of him, I was always fighting to get the No.12 jersey at the start of my career. I have massive respect for what he did for Chelsea and the Super Eagles. I always looked up to him a lot.

“When he was at Chelsea, I was at Nath Boys (as a youth player) and I have always liked him as a player. The way he plays is amazing. He was so important for Nigerian football.”

The Leicester City midfielder is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League.

One of his admirers is Manchester United legend Paul Scholes who named him as a perfect replacement for Paul Pogba in the defensive midfield  role.

While talking to Football Daily YouTube channel in June, Scholes said: “Leicester’s Wilfred still very much fits the bill of what Man United are looking for, and with just two years remaining on his contract at Leicester, it’s likely to cost significantly less than the eye-watering sums associated with him in summer past.”

In his reaction to the compliment, Ndidi said, “He’s (Scholes) a legend for me. He has his opinion and I’m excited when a legend says good things about me. It was a boost of confidence and I appreciated being noticed. But for me, I just want to do my thing for my club and I’m excited ahead of the new season.”