Ndidi dreaming on World Cup

Super Eagles’ midfielder, Wilfred Ndidi, says he has not yet come to terms with the reality that he would be playing at the World Cup in Russia so soon in his career.

“I can’t explain how proud I am,” Ndidi told JOE.co.uk on Tuesday.

“Every player wants to pull on the shirt for their country, so many people look for this opportunity – the entire population in Nigeria would love to be able to do this. I can’t believe I will be at the World Cup for my nation. It’s amazing. I haven’t really had the chance to think about it much, I believe when we get to Russia is when it will really sink in.

Ndidi also warned Nigeria’s group opponents-Argentina, Croatia and Iceland that the Eagles are not tourists in Russia.

“And it’s not just about going to participate, it’s not about being happy just that we are part of the World Cup. I feel we can do more.”

Ndidi who plays for Leicester City and is reputed to be the Premier League’s most successful tackler by some distance this season but he is not the type to entertain talk of how good he has been for his team.  “I’ve always wanted to play so I ignore the hype and everything people say about me – that’s not important. Doing my job well is important.”

However, he glows when speaking of Africa’s other accomplished performers in the Premier League like Mohamed Salah, who is the division’s top scorer.

“It’s a great thing that we’re doing well, because there are so many good European players, so as an African, you have to do extra,” he admits.

Leicester will be counting on their young destroyer, who returns from a two-game suspension against Southampton on Thursday, to go above and beyond as usual.

They lost to Newcastle at home and away to Burnley in his absence, underscoring Puel’s assertion that Ndidi is “valuable” because “he can recover a lot of balls, he is strong in the duels and he plays it simple with good quality.”