Wilfred Ndidi, Iheanacho eye FA glory as they look to join three other Nigerians to have won the trophy!
The duo of Wilfred Ndidi and goal-scoring machine, Kelechi Iheanacho are on the verge of joining seven other Nigerian players to have won the prestigious FA Cup trophy as Leicester City take on Chelsea this weekend at the iconic Wembley Stadium.
Former Super Eagles players, Daniel Amokachi ( Everton, 1995), Celestine Babayaro, ( Chelsea, 2000) Kanu Nwankwo ( Arsenal, 2002, 2003 ) Portsmouth 2008), John Utaka (Portsmouth, 2007), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea 2007, 2009 and 2012), Alex Iwobi (Arsenal, 2017), Victor Moses (2018) are the only Nigerian players who take pride in winning the trophy.
It has been a wonderful season for the duo especially for Iheanacho who has been in sublime form for the Foxes this season in all competitions and he is the club’s leading scorer with 18 goals so far.
Iheanacho’s goal against Southampton in the semi-final ensured Brendan Rodgers’ men will be playing in the FA Cup final for the first time since 1969.
The Foxes have a terrible record in the history of the competition having lost four finals between 1949 and 1969 – the most by any club without winning.
However, Brendan Rodgers who spoke with the press ahead of the match believes that fortune will favor his players who have the opportunity to create a legacy for themselves by winning the trophy for the first time in the history of the club.
“We have earned the right to be in the final and we will arrive with an opportunity to make our history”
“We have watched it (the cup final) all through our lives. To be able to lead Leicester out for the first time in 50-odd years will be a real privilege for me.
“These weeks you always have to stay calm. This is a game where you can create an incredible legacy, you write your own stories in these games.
The manager also talked on the fitness level of Jonny Evans who has missed the last two games for the team.
“We’re giving him another day”
“He has progressed really well in the last 24 hours. He looked very good and we’ll see what the reaction is after that and make the final decision tomorrow (Friday).”
“It’s just a discussion between myself and Jonny. You always have to speak to the players and Jonny is a warrior.”
“If there is any way he can play – even if he is not 100 percent – he will be out there.”
Jamie Vardy played a huge role, the last time Leicester City won a major trophy – the Premier League in 2015 as he scored 24 goals – the most by any player.
However, this time, the fate of the team will rest on the shoulders of the two Super Eagles players in the team.
Leicester City will be relying on Iheanacho who scored three goals en route to the final as well as Wilfred Ndidi who has been solid in the midfield for yet another season, to lead the Foxes to victory against Chelsea on Saturday.
The Foxes are also in contention to book a ticket for next season’s UEFA Champions League. They are currently third on the log with 66 points as the Premier League draws to a close with three games to go.
No more than 6,500 fans of both clubs will be allowed into the Wembley Stadium on Saturday as the English FA continues to evaluate the return of fans to large venues in England.
