By Taiye Taiwo
Leicester City midfielder Wilfried Ndidi has announced the birth of his baby girl on Friday. The 23-year-old took to social media to share the good news and revealed the girl will be called Jaina.
A year ago after the 2018-19 Premier League season, Ndidi tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend Dinma Fortune in an elaborate ceremony in Abuja which had his Leicester City teammate Kelechi Iheanacho and other close friends in attendance.
The Nigeria international has established himself as a rock in the Foxes’ midfield since he arrived in England from Belgian outfit Genk in January 2017. Ndidi is renowned for his ball-winning skills and combative displays in the middle of the park, and he is ranked as one of the top tacklers in the Premier League in the past two seasons.
Before the suspension of football in England, the 23-year-old made 23 league appearances for Brendan Rodgers’ side with two goals to his name in the Premier League in this campaign. He played a key role in helping Leicester City surge to third in the English top-flight table with 53 points from 29 matches, behind Manchester City and leaders Liverpool.
Since his debut outing against DR Congo in an international friendly in October 2015, Ndidi has played 36 matches for Nigeria, and he was a member of Gernot Rohr’s team that won bronze at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Despite his football commitment, the Super Eagles midfielder is developing his academic life and he is currently a student of business and management at the De Montfort University (DMU), a public university in Leicester.
He revealed his dream project is to help combat illiteracy in Nigeria with children unable to access quality education due to a lack of financial resources. “Back home so many kids aren’t able to go to school because their parents can’t afford it,” he said.
“I want to set up a football resort where people can stay and play football while getting an education at the same time. I think it’s really important to try to learn things outside of your normal life.”
Originally published at Sporting News