By Monsurah Olatunji
Nigerian international Wilfred Ndidi has paid tribute to Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, who is set to leave the club at the end of the current season after 13 years of service.
Vardy, 37, joined Leicester in 2012 from the non-league side Fleetwood Town and played a central role in the club’s dramatic rise through English football.
He was instrumental in Leicester’s shock Premier League title win in 2016 and their FA Cup triumph in 2021.
The club confirmed this week that Vardy will depart this summer, though his next destination remains uncertain.
Reports have linked the forward to potential moves within the English Championship, Major League Soccer (MLS), and Saudi Arabia.
Ndidi, who has featured alongside Vardy in 250 matches—more than any Leicester teammate except Kasper Schmeichel—shared a heartfelt farewell on social media.
“What a guy, a guy wey sabi,” Ndidi wrote, using Nigerian Pidgin to describe Vardy as “a very skilled and knowledgeable person.”
“Goal machine, it’s a pleasure to share the same dressing room with you for years. You are an inspiration on and off the pitch. All the best for what comes next.”
Vardy leaves Leicester as one of the club’s all-time greats, having scored over 180 goals and becoming a symbol of Leicester’s underdog success story.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
