Nigeria and Besiktas star Wilfred Ndidi. Copyright: IMAGO
Beşiktaş J.K. manager Sergen Yalcin has reserved praises for Wilfred Ndidi after the Black Eagles recorded an emphatic 4-0 victory over Göztepe S.K. in the Turkish Super Lig, Soccernet.ng reports.
The Nigerian midfielder was playing his first match since being granted compassionate leave following the death of his father, Sunday Ndidi, who died in a car accident earlier this month.
Ndidi opened the scoring inside the opening minutes, giving Besiktas an early advantage. After finding the net, he ran towards the corner flag and delivered a military-style salute, a tribute to his late father, who served as a soldier in Nigeria.
Beyond the goal, the Super Eagles captain produced a commanding midfield performance. He controlled possession, broke up opposition attacks and helped drive his side forward throughout the match.
The convincing victory lifted Besiktas from fifth to fourth place in the league standings, moving them above Goztepe and keeping them firmly in contention for European qualification with 11 games still to play.
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Wilfred Ndidi earns top praise
Besiktas manager Sergen Yalcin reserved special praise for Ndidi after the final whistle, applauding both the player’s quality and commitment.
“There’s something you probably didn’t notice today. Ndidi played perfectly,” the Besiktas coach said in his post-match conference.
“Ndidi played one of the best games we’ve ever had. When our players fight and play like this, even if we lose the match, it won’t be a problem for us. We can lose. But when we fight like this, we lose. We tell him. It’s easy to tell him.
“But losing without doing anything is the worst thing for us. That’s why our players should fight like this. We lose, I’ll take responsibility. I’ll tell him. It’s not a problem for us.”
Wilfred Ndidi has made 20 appearances in all competitions for Besiktas, registering two goals and one assist.
The Nigeria international joined Besiktas for €8 million in the summer from Leicester City, committing to a three-year contract and an option for a fourth.
At Leicester City, he won the FA Cup, the Community Shield and the EFL Championship during his eight-year spell with the Foxes.
Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele
A lifelong fan of Arsenal and the Super Eagles, Imhonlamhen is a football writer and editor at Soccernet.ng, where his journey as a journalist began more than six years ago. Since then, he has helped shape the platform’s editorial voice and guided it toward some of its proudest milestones.
With a background in Engineering and further training in journalism and digital media, Imhons brings both precision and passion to his storytelling. His love for football runs deep, but he also follows boxing, chess, and athletics with equal curiosity.
