Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi was at the heart of Leicester City’s hard-fought 2-2 Premier League draw with at Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigeria international was the creative mastermind behind the Foxes’ impressive display as he provided the assists to his side’s two goals.
Manager Steve Cooper started Wilfred Ndidi, traditionally a defensive midfielder, in the attacking midfield role right behind centre-forward Jamie Vardy, and the two players combined for the first goal of the game.
Showing he is a surprisingly good playmaker, Ndidi threaded a through ball that brought Dean Henderson out of his goal but Vardy got to the ball first, took it round the keeper, and knocked it into an empty net. It was an archetypal Vardy goal and it handed Ndidi his second assist in his first four games.
It got better for the Nigerian star as he bounced on a loose ball to set up Stephy Mavididi to score Leicester’s second goal a minute after the halftime break.
Jean-Philippe Mateta reduced the deficit for Crystal Palace shortly after and the French forward netted a stoppage-time penalty to deny Leicester City their first league win of the campaign.
Ndidi’s two assists against Crystal Palace took his haul to 12 in the Premier League, surpassing the ten assists that legendary Nigerian playmaker Austin Okocha managed in his career.
Before he left England, Okocha scored 14 goals and added ten assists in 125 Premier League games for Bolton Wanderers.
However, former Arsenal and Portsmouth forward Nwankwo Kanu remains the Nigerian player with the most assists in Premier League history with 33. Fulham playmaker is the present active Super Eagles with the most assists in his kitty.
Nigeria’s Premier League assist table
- Nwankwo Kanu – 33 assists
- Shola Ameobi – 31 assists
- Alex Iwobi – 30 assists
- Kelechi Iheanacho – 25 assists
- Victor Moses – 20 assists
- Peter Odemwingie – 15 assists
- Victor Anichebe – 13 assists
- Wilfred Ndidi – 12 assists
- Austin Okocha – 10 assists