Leicester City’s Wilfred Ndidi has been fantastic since moving to the Premier League from Belgian side Genk in January 2017.
The Nigerian International has caught the eye of Premier League fans with his consistent performance for the Foxes.
Since his arrival in England, he has grown in Experience with his club and the Nigerian National team. Ndidi has represented Nigeria in the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia. He also helped Nigeria to a third place finish in the 2019 AFCON in Egypt.
Wilfred Ndidi has been the best tackler in Europe’s top five leagues for two consecutive years now. His Performance has drawn arguments as to whether he is the best midfielder in the Premier League.
A look at how Wilfred Ndidi compares to other defensive midfielders shows why the debate about him might be correct. Let’s look at top defensive midfielders like Fabinho and Rice compared to Wilfred Ndidi.
Wilfred Ndidi: Game by numbers
The Leicester City man has made 128 appearances for the Foxes since his arrival. Stats show that he has answered to his defensive duties for the team. Wilfred Ndidi made 504 tackles winning 62.3% of those tackles. He has won 407 aerial battles and made 34 blocks.
Ndidi has also made a total of 269 interceptions. His offensive side of the game has not been as impressive owing to his defensive duties. However he still edges over his rivals in the offensive sense.
Ndidi has scored 6 goals and assisted 5 in his 128 appearances for Leicester City. Ndidi is still left wanting in his passing game; he has an 80.44% pass completion rate- the lowest among the three.
Fabinho Vs Wilfred Ndidi
The Liverpool star is regarded among the best defensive midfielders in the League and he has shown that since his arrival from Monaco. The Brazilian has made 71 appearances for Liverpool scoring 3 times and assisting 5.
Fabinho is ahead of Wilfred Ndidi and Declan Rice in terms of pass completion with 87.70%. However, the Brazilian falls short of them all in successful tackles won with 54.8%. Fabinho has also won 130 aerial battles and made 83 interceptions.
Declan Rice Vs Wilfred Ndidi
Declan Rice is regarded as the best British defensive midfielder in the Premier League. The West Ham United star has played 116 games for The Hammers since his debut. Rice is known for his tackles, aggression in midfield, passing and his ability to read the game.
The Englishman is ahead of the pack in terms of shots blocked with 38 to Ndidi’s 34. Rice has more pass completion rate with 85.55% to Ndidi’s 80.44%. Although Rice falls short in the area of successful tackles, Interceptions and aerial battles won.
Wilfred Ndidi Fabinho Declan Rice
Appearances: 128 71 116
Goals: 6 5 4
Assists: 5 4 4
Pass completion: 80.44% 87.70% 85.55%
Blocks: 34 13 38
Successful tackles: 62.3% 54.8% 58%
Aerial battles won: 407 130 161
Interceptions: 269 83 161
Chances created: 3 4 4
Wilfred Ndidi with these stats has shown his dominance in most areas, helping effectively in protecting his team’s defense. His only his passing which he could improve over time. This means the debate about Wilfred Ndidi being the best defensive midfielder in the Premier league might be undisputed.
By David Maigari
