By Dayo Awoniyi
Besiktas manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has praised Wilfred Ndidi for his commanding display in Thursday’s 1-1 UEFA Conference League play-off first-leg encounter against Lausanne-Sport.
Ndidi, who arrived in Istanbul this summer after eight successful years at Leicester City, impressed with a dominant midfield performance as the Turkish giants battled to a hard-fought draw in Switzerland.
The 27-year-old, long regarded as one of the Premier League’s most reliable holding midfielders, has quickly adapted to life at Besiktas and is already being tipped as the team’s midfield anchor.
Solskjaer, who faced Ndidi during his time as Manchester United boss, was full of admiration for the Nigerian’s influence on and off the pitch.
“Wilfred has settled in brilliantly,” Solskjaer said after the match.
“He’s a consummate professional, a fantastic person, and he gives us qualities we’ve lacked. I’m delighted to have him here — he’s already a leader and will be vital for us going forward.”
Ndidi, who shook off an injury scare on his debut, has wasted little time establishing himself as a key figure in Solskjaer’s plans.
His presence in the starting XI against Lausanne underlined his growing importance as Besiktas eye qualification for the group stages.
The Istanbul side will host Lausanne in next week’s decisive return leg, with Ndidi expected to play a central role once again.
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.
