Soccer
Nigeria and Besiktas midfielder Wilfred Ndidi. Photo Credit: Besiktas/X
Former Super Eagles and Beşiktaş goalkeeper Ike Shorunmu has delivered an honest assessment of Wilfred Ndidi’s early impact at the Turkish club, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigerian captain joined the Black Eagles last summer after leaving English side Leicester City, where he spent eight and a half years and built a reputation as one of the Premier League’s most reliable defensive midfielders.
The 29-year-old also joined the list of Nigerians to represent Beşiktaş, following in the footsteps of the likes of Daniel Amokachi and the late Michael Eneramo and he has made an immediate impression at the club.
Ndidi went on to make 31 appearances across all competitions and also captained the side on several occasions in the absence of Turkish midfielder Orkun Kökçü, after he was named as the club’s vice-captain a few months after arriving.
He also led the Super Eagles to a bronze medal at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria secured a record ninth third-place finish after defeating Egypt in the playoff, playing a key role throughout the tournament.
Soccer Ike Shorunmu hails Ndidi’s influence at Beşiktaş
Super Eagles captain Wilfred Ndidi enjoyed a strong debut season at Beşiktaş, climbing to third on the club’s all-time list of Nigerian appearances, overtaking Michael Eneramo and Christopher Ohen.
His next target is to close in on Shorunmu’s tally of 46 appearances, although he still has a long way to go to match Daniel Amokachi’s record of 112.
Speaking in an interview, former Super Eagles goalkeeper Ike Shorunmu, who also played for Beşiktaş between 1999 and 2001 after joining from FC Zürich, praised Ndidi’s influence at the club, especially after being named vice-captain despite joining only last summer.
“It’s good. I mean for him to be given the captain’s band, a foreigner, and again too in Beşiktaş which I played for, it’s a good omen. That shows me that they have a good respect for him”, Shorunmu told Footy-Africa.
“Because before him, it was Amokachi that played there and after him I came on board and we never captained the team. Which Ndidi, they gave him the captaincy. And as I said earlier, it’s a generation thing. He’s doing well with the team and they are happy with him.”
Soccer Ndidi key to Beşiktaş’ title ambitions
Beşiktaş finished fourth in the Turkish Super Lig with 60 points, 17 behind champions Galatasaray and have a huge gap to close to be considered title challengers.
The Black Eagles ended the season without silverware and have not won the league since the 2020–21 campaign. However, Shorunmu believes Ndidi can play a major role in helping them compete with Galatasaray and Fenerbahçe next season.
“He’s an important player for the club, and I believe with him they can challenge for the title. They’ve been there before. That thing is not a thing of every year that you need to win the title. That’s mean the league is not that good because there’s a lot of challenges, a lot of competition which is good for the league and which is good for their country.
“They have a better team to represent them on the continent. That’s it. Probably by next season, Beşiktaş will do something better than this season to get them there for next season”, rhe former Nigerian goalkeeper concluded.
With the Turkish league season now concluded, Beşiktaş are expected to face a tough task of keeping Ndidi, who has been linked with a return to England ahead of the summer transfer window, particularly with interest from Manchester United.
The 16-time Turkish champions will be eager to keep the Super Eagles captain ahead of a crucial season ahead, as they look to compete for trophies again and re-establish themselves among Turkey’s biggest clubs.
Ayomide Oguntimehin
Ayomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Chief Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.
Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master’s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin
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