Nigerian captain Wilfred Ndidi has dismissed Jamie Vardy’s light-hearted claim that he and fellow Nigerian Kelechi Iheanacho used a mysterious “juju cream” to speed up injury recovery during their time at Leicester City.
Reacting to the viral comments with laughter, Ndidi explained that the ointment Vardy referred to was simply natural shea butter, popularly known as Ori in Nigeria.
Speaking in a video shared on his Instagram on Monday, Ndidi said the story became a running joke between them after he and Iheanacho returned from trips to Nigeria.
“It’s Ori (natural shea butter), and whenever we came back, he’d ask about it, and we’d tell him, ‘Oh! It’s from a witch doctor in Nigeria,'” Ndidi said with a smile.
He added that they even encouraged Vardy to try the shea butter, but the former Leicester striker always refused.
“We offered to let him use it, but he always declined, even when we told him it could help him score more goals,” Ndidi joked.
Vardy’s remarks had sparked widespread reactions online, but Ndidi’s clarification confirmed that the much-discussed “juju cream” was nothing more than a traditional natural skincare product.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.
