Nigerian footballer, Kelechi Iheanacho reveals how his faith got him going when people wrote him off

Nigerian footballer of Leicester City, Kelechi Iheanacho has said he has always had faith in himself even when a lot of people wrote him off.

Kelechi Promise Iheanacho is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Premier League club Leicester City and the Nigeria national team. Iheanacho began his senior career at Manchester City during the 2015–16 season. He moved to Leicester City in 2017 for a reported £25 million fee. Iheanacho was dropped from Nigeria’s squad to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, as he was not getting enough playing time with the Foxes.

The 24-year-old’s fortunes has however changed in recent months, as he has scored 10 Premier League goals since the start of March. Iheanacho was named Premier League player of the Month for March and is on course for a double award for the month of April.

In his words;

“I think a lot of people wrote me off, but I never lost faith in myself,” Iheanacho told BBC Sport Africa.

“I was going through a crazy and difficult time when things just didn’t work out for me. But I’ve worked extremely hard, and also have the manager and other staff at Leicester, and most importantly my brother and friend Wilfred [Ndidi] who stood by me. It’s been a really tough ride but I’m just delighted it’s all coming together for me,” he said.

Iheanacho is the Foxes’ top scorer this season with 18 goals, the first time since 2014-15 that Jamie Vardy has been in danger of not leading the way.