Wilfred Ndidi: Still Ranks Amongst the Best

Wilfred Ndidi is perhaps the most consistent Nigerian player in the past four years or more, little wonder he’s the only Super Eagles player to make the FIFA top 100 players this year
The yearly ratings of the popular video game franchise by EA Sports, FIFA, recently released showed that only one Super Eagles star is good enough to make the top 100.

Wilfred Ndidi is the only Nigerian rated high enough to feature in the top 100 of the video game FIFA 22, scheduled for an October 1 release.
FIFA 22 is the latest instalment in the yearly series developed and published by American video game company Electronic Arts.

And ahead of its release next month, the top 100 rated players have been revealed, with Ndidi ranked in 82nd place.
He’s the only Nigerian in the top 100 with no other Super Eagles star even good enough to feature in the top 400 players.

Ndidi saw an increase in his rating, with the Nigerian international now rated 85. It’s enough to put him in the top 100 players in the game, which was not the case last year.
The experts have spoken. See the official FIFA 22 Player Ratings for the highest rated players in FIFA 22.

The Leicester City midfielder was ranked 134th in the world last year, but he’s the 82nd best player in the game this year. He’s also the Foxes second highest-rated player after Jamie Vardy.
Meanwhile, former England’s striker Darren Bent says Ndidi is a better player than Declan Rice and Calvin Phillips.

In a debate on TalkSport, Bent was asked to pick the best holding midfielder playing for clubs outside Premier League big four and the former Tottenham Hotspurs striker opted for Ndidi, ahead of Rice and Philip who recently won England Player of the Year award.
He said: “Ndidi is that good, he is the best for me. Rice and Philips are not bad, but the way Ndidi plays, I think, he’s better.

“His partnership with Youri Tielemans is one of the best in the Premier League. He’s that kind of player who can go to Chelsea and replace Ngolo Kante,” he said.
Former Manchester City star, Trevor Sinclair said he believes Ndidi was among the best in Europe, adding that the Leicester City dressing room appreciates the midfielder’s value despite not being a headline maker.

Ndidi’s reputation continues to grow following a string of fine performances and Sinclair, who was talking to Talksport, feels that while the Niger in star sneaks under the radar, his impact cannot be questioned.

“I actually looked at Ndidi and thought there are not many better than him in the Premier League and probably in Europe,” he remarked.

“Really good player very probably underrated, undervalued. But I wouldn’t have thought he’s undervalued by Brendan and his team-mates because I’m sure they appreciate everything that he brings to that team. He makes them tick.”
Rodgers recently lavished praises on Ndidi and his contribution to ‘The Foxes’ since arriving at the club in 2017.

The Foxes boss said of Ndidi: “He’s one of the top players in world football. His quality in his football is improving all the time. He is irreplaceable for us. He’s fantastic for a young player.
“What is pleasing as a coach is that he wants to learn. He will improve and get better. I’m so happy he plays in my team.

“He’s one of the top players in world football. His quality in his football is improving all the time,” said the Northern Irish manager. Ndidi led the league in tackles in 2018/19 with 143 and recorded another 128 last season, second to only Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Ndidi joined Leicester from Genk in 2017 and has become an essential part of the club’s success. He now has over 130 Premier League appearances to his name and has regularly been linked with Europe’s top clubs including Manchester United and Juventus. For now, though, the defensive midfielder seems at home in the East Midlands and insists there is still plenty for his side to learn, even amid their relative successes.

While he wasn’t part of the team that won the Premier League at odds of 5000/1, the Foxes have continued to defy expectations while having to sell their top players. N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez and Ben Chilwell have all been sold for huge fees in recent seasons, but the good results have continued for the team with key players such as Ndidi.