A Love For The Game – Iheanacho’s Life In Football

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A Love For The Game – Iheanacho’s Life In Football

Kelechi Iheanacho provides his account of a footballing career to date that had humble beginnings but led to glory in England’s most prestigious domestic competitions.

2022-12-13T08:57:58.732Z

by Sam Jones

Published

13 Dec, 2022

A Love For The Game – Iheanacho’s Life In Football

Kelechi Iheanacho provides his account of a footballing career to date that had humble beginnings but led to glory in England’s most prestigious domestic competitions.

Sam Jones

2022-12-13T08:57:58.732Z

A Love For The Game – Iheanacho’s Life In Football

Kelechi Iheanacho provides his account of a footballing career to date that had humble beginnings but led to glory in England’s most prestigious domestic competitions.

Sam Jones

2022-12-13T08:57:58.732Z

A Love For The Game – Iheanacho’s Life In Football

Kelechi Iheanacho provides his account of a footballing career to date that had humble beginnings but led to glory in England’s most prestigious domestic competitions.

Sam Jones

2022-12-13T08:57:58.732Z

A Love For The Game – Iheanacho’s Life In Football

Kelechi Iheanacho provides his account of a footballing career to date that had humble beginnings but led to glory in England’s most prestigious domestic competitions.

Sam Jones

2022-12-13T08:57:58.732Z

Playing with no shoes in Nigeria, his first experiences of English weather and being taken under ‘teacher’ Gaël Clichy’s wing, Iheanacho looks back on his own tale of strive and success…

One thing is abundantly clear when you speak to Kelechi Promise Iheanacho: he carries a love of the beautiful game that has continued throughout his whole life and shows no signs of abating as the Leicester City forward prepares to resume an eighth season in the English game, following the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup.

While Nigeria did not make Qatar 2022, there is a burning desire to reach those heights with his country and return the Super Eagles to the biggest of stages and the pinnacle of international football.

Indeed his Nigerian roots are the first topic of conversation when sitting down with LCFC.com inside the indoor dome at the Club’s plush LCFC Training Ground. It’s a far cry from the Foxes star’s earliest footballing memories on the streets of Owerri, his birthplace and the capital and largest city in Imo State.

Those formative years growing up in Nigeria’s south-eastern province, set in the heart of Igboland, were happy times for the youngster, despite not even having footwear to play in.

“I can remember playing with my friends in the streets,” Iheanacho recalls, taking a moment to pause and think back to a time of great joy. “We always played with no shoes; we went barefoot for so many years.

“It was crazy, but we loved it. We loved football, we could play all day – not eating just playing. It’s a good memory and kicking a ball around is something I’ve loved since I was little.

“I always played football everywhere I went. I played in school as well. There was a team that was an adult team, but they liked the way I played football and I liked to get involved so they took me on, and they always wanted me to play with them.

“They’d put me in a game if they were winning, when they were beating a team 5-0 or something, so that I could entertain people who came to watch. They loved me there and then I moved to another team. A coach called me to join their team and I started training with them. They loved me there as well!”

So many youngsters around the world grow up with dreams and ambitions of making it as a professional footballer, and yet very few get the opportunity to leap from kicking a ball around to featuring in some of the world’s biggest sporting competitions.

For Iheanacho, it was all about hard graft and working to complement the natural talents that he was able to nurture and grow out on the streets in his homeland.

Recognised as a talent by Taye Academy, that was his next destination in 2011, all the while he honed his skills and looked to emulate his idol from Brazil.

“The coach from the team in the town that played competitions then came to watch us train and he loved the way I played football,” Iheanacho explains. “So, he took me to play for his team in the city. That’s how I started playing over there and going to competitions when I was in college. It was a good time before I went to the Under-17s World Cup.

“That’s why they picked me to join their team - because I stood out and they liked my style of play. I always enjoyed my football and always played the way I did with quality and giving what I had to give. I think I just kept being me.

“Football is a big deal in the country. Of course, families want their children to go to school more, but everyone wants to play football. In Nigeria, when people used to watch the Super Eagles, I can say you always hear Jay-Jay Okocha and Nwankwo Kanu.

“I started watching Barcelona when I was growing up, so Ronaldinho was my hero. I loved the way he played with happiness and dedication. He loved the game, and he had every quality. He was my idol.”

A huge moment in Iheanacho’s career followed when he was spotted by Manchester City at a time when the Citizens were themselves emerging from the shadows to become a global force, making statements such as buying another Brazilian superstar, Robinho, five years earlier.

Iheanacho’s impressive performances at the 2013 FIFA Under-17s World Cup, meanwhile, led to the Golden Ball after seven assists and six goals – including four strikes in a group stage victory over Mexico – which helped Nigeria claimed the global title for the fourth time. That was a catalyst for his move.

Soon named Most Promising Talent of the Year at the 2013 Confederation of African Football Awards, the striker’s eyes light up as he reflects on a breakthrough period in his life that would lead to future successes, after some fatherly advice convinced the youngster to move and settle in the UK, despite the initial culture shock he would face.

“I didn’t believe that it was going to happen,” the now 26-year-old admitted, describing his feelings upon hearing the news that the Manchester club were interested in signing him. “After the Under-17s [World Cup] I was looking at going to other teams in Europe.

“But when they said I was going to Manchester City, I was surprised and saying: ‘How can I go there to that massive team? Am I going to play?’ I said that I wouldn’t go and that they should take me to a smaller team.

“However, my father said to me that it doesn’t matter where I go, I know how to play football and that will get through there. So, I believed in him, he blessed me and I went to Man City.

“I came right in the middle of winter, it was crazy! February was mad – it was windy, freezing and it was my first experience in the cold in this country. But I got through it and it was lovely as well. It’s a different culture, different weather. Every day I would be inside with a blanket on!

“There were a lot of things going on there. It’s a big club so I was trying to get comfortable and know what was happening. At the same time, I knew I could play, so I just got on the pitch and did what I do best.

“For me, I didn’t know I was going to get into that team. I just wanted to enjoy my football and that’s what I did. Over the years, people have always loved that. God really helped me, and I played very well.”

Within a year of signing for the Citizens, Iheanacho, then 18, was promoted into the senior set-up, lining up alongside some of Europe’s top talents from the start of the 2015/16 season, a campaign which would end with silverware in the form of the League Cup.

He explained: “The manager (Manuel Pellegrini) said to me that I was going into the first team, so I was really happy and the players loved me as well. It was a very wonderful experience to be in a team like that and a winning team. I was really happy to be part of that.

“Obviously, I didn’t get to play much but I was part of a big squad with brilliant players to win that. It was exciting. There were a lot of them (quality players). Yaya Touré, Samir Nasri, Jesús Navas, David Silva, and the captain Vincent Kompany, who always talked to me and gave me advice.

“And Gaël Clichy, I called him my teacher. He’s the one who taught me how to go and get what you want and how be tough and fight on the pitch, because he is a fighter. He never gets tired.

“He was always with me and pushing me. If he was against me [in training], he was going to kick me and say that I have to stand and fight back. I will never forget his kind words and teaching. He was my closest friend.”

The summer of 2017 brought his move to King Power Stadium, following 21 goals in 64 games for Man City, joining national team-mate Wilfred Ndidi in the Midlands. The forward already felt a connection to Leicester following the Club’s extraordinary Premier League title of 2015/16.

Iheanacho and co. would soon be creating their own unforgettable moments, etching their names into Leicester City folklore with a historic first-ever FA Cup triumph.

“Everything changed at Manchester City so I had to find somewhere else,” Iheanacho admits. “There were a couple of options and clubs, but Leicester City was the one for me.

“It’s crazy because when I was playing at Man City, I supported Leicester as well in the season they won the league because it was fantastic what they did. When they won the trophy, I was celebrating, I was happy.

“I thought it would be a good move for me to go there and a place where I would enjoy my football. It’s a family club with lovely people. My family and everyone around me supported it and they said it would be a very good place to go.

“He (Wilfred Ndidi) came in January that season, so I knew he was there. I didn’t get to speak to him, but knowing my friend was there was nice. If I needed any support or anything, I knew he would tell me.

“Winning the FA Cup like that, it is a big memory for the whole Club and the whole city of Leicester. Obviously, the Premier League was different, but nobody thought we were going to do it. We came from nowhere and it happened.

“We did it as a team with great players and some fantastic nights. It’s a memory that will be there forever. I’m really happy that I played a part in the Club’s history and everyone played a big role in it. We did it together.”

Iheanacho heavily contributed to Brendan Rodgers’ side reaching the final, scoring several match-winners en route to the showpiece event at Wembley Stadium in May 2021, including a last-gasp goal against Brighton & Hove Albion and the only goal of the last-four clash with Southampton.

He explains: “The one in the semi-finals was the one that broke the years of not going to the FA Cup Final. That’s a big memory and it really stands out, but also in the round of 16, the one that we scored in the last minute.

“Obviously, the game was going to extra-time and nobody wants to do that. It just came from nowhere! Everyone felt tired, both teams, but it just happened, and we got through to the next round.”

Going back to the home of football three months later for the FA Community Shield, Iheanacho was again on the scoresheet, decisively netting a late penalty against his former side, Manchester City. Hungry to create more of those memories, Iheanacho reveals a determination within the squad to get back into finals and European competitions.

“We knew what Man City was like so the way we played in that game was outstanding to the end,” the forward enthused, reflecting on another special time in front of the Foxes faithful. “We fought together and when we scored and the game finished, it was crazy. You could see the togetherness in the team.

“I just needed to stand up to the occasion. I said to myself, no matter what happens, just be calm, choose a spot and hit it hard. It would change the game, so I went with my instincts, and we won so I was happy.

“It was another addition to the trophies. Hopefully, we will come back and try to win a trophy again. It was a good thing for us to be in Europe and we really worked hard to achieve that. It’s a different competition and we enjoyed our time. Hopefully we will get there again and go as far as possible.

“We just have to stay together. This team is known for being unified. We’ll keep pushing to get to compete at the top again as quickly as possible. As a striker, I just need to deliver for the team, do my best and help them by scoring goals. I love football, I love what I am doing.”

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