Most Valuable Midfielders in 2021 Africa Cup of Nations

Midfielders play a crucial role in the world of football these days. Their main objective is to transition the play from defence to the attack and connect these two lines together. On the occasion of the 2021 African Cup of Nations, which was held in Cameroon some time ago and saw Senegal win their first-ever African Cup of Nations title in their history, we have decided to take a look back at this tournament and introduce the most valuable midfielders who participated in the most prestigious African football tournament to you.

2021 AFCON Most Valuable Midfielders

To come up with this list, we have considered the market value of the midfielders who took part in the 2021 African Cup of Nations, which was provided by the Transfermarkt website. Stay tuned to take a look at the top 10 most expensive African footballers and more.

Hamed Junior Traorè

With a total market value of 18 million euros, Hamed Junior Traore is amongst the most valuable midfielders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. The young attacking midfielder who debuted for the

national team in the summer of 2021 was part of his national team in the recent African Cup of Nations tournament. However, he only managed to play just 17 minutes in the tournament as a substitute for Ibrahim Sangaré in their second group stage match against

.

Hamed Junior Traorè started his professional career with Empoli FC, which at that time was playing in Serie B. His first league game was played against Foggia Calcio. Making his first steps in the pro league, he appeared in only ten games during this first season, frequently entering the game at the end. He helped Empoli rise to Serie A, as his club finished as Serie B champions that season. He made his debut in Italian football's top-flight against

CFC on 26 August 2018, stepping in for Miha Zajc.

Fiorentina announced the signing of Traorè in the winter transfer window of the 2019-20 season for a fee of €12 million. Nevertheless, he was loaned out to his parent club, Empoli FC, for the remainder of the season. In May 2019, however, Fabrizio Corsi, the chairman of Empoli, announced that the deal had collapsed, stating that the signed documents had never reached the Italian FA and that the player still belonged to his club.

Although he was being chased by several clubs, Hamed Junior Traorè made a move to US Sassuolo in the summer of 2019 on a two season loan with an option to buy. He debuted for Sassuolo on 18 August of the same year against Spezia Calcio in the Italian Cup. He scored his first and only goal for his new club in the game, leading them to victory. He made his first Serie A appearance for his new club on 25 August 2019 on the first matchday of the 2019-2020 season against

.

Junior Traore played his first match for Ivory Coast on 6 September 2021 against Cameroon in a World Cup 2022 qualifier, which they won 2-1. In December 2021, the coach Patrice Beaumelle named Hamed Junior Traore for the African Cup of Nations. So far, he has played a total of 4 international matches for the Ivory Coast national team.

Pape Sarr

The 19 years old youngster Pape Sarr is considered by many football experts and fans to be one of the most talented African footballers right now and the one who we might hear much more about him in the future. With a total market value of 20 million euros, this young and very talented defensive midfielder deserved a place in our list of most valuable midfielders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations.

Having previously played for the Senegalese national team in the World Cup and African Cup of Nation qualifiers, Pape Sarr was selected for the national team to play in the 2021 African Cup of Nations, which was to be held in

between 9 January and 6 February 2022. Before the start of the tournament, Sarr was amongst the many Senegalese footballers who tested positive for Covid-19.

As a result, he wasn't part of his team in the first group stage match against

and had to sit out. In the subsequent group stage matches, plus the round of 16 and also the quarterfinal match, the young Pape Sarr was on the bench and failed to play. However, on 2 February 2022, he made his African Cup of Nations debut against

when he replaced Bamba Dieng in the 78th minute of the match.

As a youngster, Sarr played for Walidane in Thiès, but at the age of 14, he joined Génération Foot. Sarr was signed on 15 September 2020 by partner club Metz, where he agreed to a five-year contract. On 29 November 2020, Sarr marked his Ligue 1 debut in a 2-0 loss to Brest, in which he was substituted in the 55th minute for Mamadou Fofana.

Sarr played a total of 25 competitive matches during the 2020/2021 season, scoring four goals for Metz and one for the reserve team in the Championnat National. Subsequently, on 27 August 2021, Sarr was purchased by Tottenham Hotspur but was immediately loaned back to Metz for the rest of the 2021/2022 season.

At the 2019 African U17 Championship, Sarr appeared in three Senegal U17 national team matches. After Guinea was disqualified for manipulating players' ages, Senegal qualified for the 2019 U17 World Cup. In three matches at the U17 World Cup, Sarr scored three goals and provided two assists, helping Senegal to the Round of 16, in which they were knocked out by Spain. Sarr debuted for the Senegalese senior national team on 26 March 2021 in a 0-0 match against Congo-Brazzaville in the 2021 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Ilaix Moriba

One of the biggest African football talents at the moment, the young Ilaix Moriba has a place in our list of most valuable midfielders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with a total market value of 20 million euros. The youngster who is currently playing for Valencia on loan from RB Leipzig, is believed to have what it takes to become of the best African footballers of all time.

He had to go into quarantine less than two weeks before the first group match on 10 January 2022 after testing positive for SARS-CoV-2. But he was able to leave that quarantine after just a few days, making his debut in a 3-0 friendly defeat to Rwanda on 3 January. Ilaix Moriba played 3 out of a possible 4 games in the starting eleven at the Africa Cup before the team was knocked out by the

in the round of 16.

In 2010, he joined FC Barcelona from the youth team RCD Espanyol when he was just seven years old. Starting from the U9/C team, he was promoted quickly to U10/A. He was always playing ahead of his age group. He was champion with a total of 7 youth teams and won the LaLiga and the Promises International tournament in Miami in 2015.

He began the 2018/19 season in Barcelona Juvenil B before moving to Juvenil A in mid-season, playing in the UEFA Youth League Cup. He featured in five matches, playing 298 minutes and scoring one goal in the last eight against

. He signed a three-year contract with a €100 million clause on 4 April 2019.

He was called up on 7 September 2019 and made his debut for the B team in the 66th minute of the third round of the 2019/20 league, in an away defeat to SD Ejea (0-1). He was called up to the senior team for the first time on 9 January 2021, in the 18th match of the 2020/21 league season against Granada CF.

He made his first senior appearance on 21 January in a 0-2 Spanish Cup draw away to UE Cornellà. In the league, he debuted on 13 February in a 5-1 home win over Alavés. He assisted on the first goal, which was converted by Francisco Trincão. His first goal came on 6 March in the 83rd minute of a 0-2 draw against

.

It was announced on 31 August 2021 that he had joined RB Leipzig on a five-year deal for €16 million. He made his debut as a substitute for the club on 2 October in a 3-0 home league match against

, coming on for Kevin Kampl in the 79th minute. He made his first appearance for the team in the Champions League on 20 October, in a 2-3 loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

Ilaix Moriba made eight appearances (two goals) for the Spanish U17 national team between March 2019 and February 2020. In the meantime, he made two appearances for the U18s in September 2019. Ilaix Moriba decided to play for the Guinean Football Federation in the future in August 2021. In December 2021, without having played a match before, Ilaix Moriba was named by Kaba Diawara in the Guinean national team squad for the 2022 Africa Cup.

Mohamed Camara

The first Malian footballer to appear in this list of most valuable midfielders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nation, the 22-years old Mohamed Camara, had a market value of 23 million euros during the 2021 African Cup of Nations. The young defensive midfielder had to sit out on the bench during the first two group stage matches of the Malian national team against Tunisia and the Gambia before making his African Cup of Nations debut in the last group stage match against Mauritania.

In the round of 16 match of the Malian national team, Mohamed Camara was in the starting lineup and played the full 90 minutes of the match against Equatorial Guinea, in which they lost 5-6 on penalties and were knocked out of the tournament.

Camara started his football career with AS Real Bamako. He transferred to Austria in January 2018 to join FC Red Bull Salzburg with a contract running until June 2022, although he was first due to play for their affiliate team FC Liefering on loan.

In February 2018, he made his debut for Liefering in the second division when he started in the matchday 21 of the 2017/18 season against FC Blau-Weiß Linz. His first goal for Liefering came in May 2018 in a 3-2 win over TSV Hartberg. He made 15 appearances for the second-division club during his first season, scoring one goal.

In January 2019, he was loaned to Bundesliga side TSV Hartberg, where he made his Bundesliga debut in March 2019 against FC Wacker Innsbruck. He made seven Bundesliga appearances for Hartberg until the end of the loan. Following the end of the loan, he returned to the Salzburg squad for the 2019/20 season.

In 2017, Camara took part in the World Cup with the Mali U-17 team, where they finished fourth. He participated in the African Cup with the U-20 side in February 2019, which they won. During the tournament, Camara played in one of Mali's five matches.

Thanks to their success at the African Championship, they also participated in the World Cup in the same year, in which they were defeated by Italy in the quarterfinals. Camara played in four of the five matches. In September 2019, he played for the U-23 team for the first time. Camara made his debut for the senior national team against

in October 2019. In November 2019, he scored his first goal for Mali in a 2-0 win over Chad.

Amadou Haidara

Another Malian midfielder to have a place in our list of most valuable midfielders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations is the 24 years old Amadou Haidara, who also proved to be one of the best midfielders in the 2021 African Cup with good performances that led to getting good ratings. Participating in his second African Cup of Nations, Amadou Haidara was a key player for the Malian national team during the tournament, where he played in all of his team's four matches.

After they qualified for the round of 16 stage of the competition with two wins and a draw in the group stage, the Malian national team was eliminated by Equatorial Guinea in the round of 16. Amadou Haidara played 108 minutes before being substituted by Aliou Dieng in that match.

Haidara originally played for the JMG Academy Bamako in his homeland Mali; however, in the summer of 2016, he was recruited by Red Bull Salzburg, who initially allowed him to play for the amateur team FC Liefering in the Erste Liga. With that team, he went on to play twenty-five league games before moving to Red Bull's first team for the rest of the 2016/17 season. His Bundesliga debut was made on 9 April 2017, when the team won 1-0 at home against Sturm Graz.

His first League goal came on 25 May 2017, when they played at Austria Wien. He was granted a start in the team's starting line-up and then scored in the final minute before half-time. Haidara did not complete the ninety minutes; García substituted him fifteen minutes before time in favour of Christoph Leitgeb. Near the end of the 2017/18 season, Haidara renewed his contract for one year until mid-2022. From January 2019, the Malian switched to RB Leipzig for around €18 million, signing a four-and-a-half-year contract.

It was in October 2017 that Haidara started playing for the Malian national team in a 0-0 draw against Ivory Coast in a qualifier for the 2018 World Cup. National coach Mohamed Magassouba made him start the game as a substitute but came to the pitch eleven minutes before the match ended. Other debutants this game were Mamadou Fofana (Alanyaspor), Souleymane Diarra (RC Lens) and Moussa Djenepo (Standard Liege)

Haidara was included by Magassouba in Mali's selection for the African Cup of Nations in the summer of 2019. Mali was knocked out at the African Cup of Nations in the eighth-finals. However, Haidara played in all matches and against

, he scored the only goal of the match, which was also his first international goal.

Yves Bissouma

The Malian central midfielder Yves Bissouma is the next player in this list of most valuable midfielders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, with a total market value of 25 million euros. After missing the 2019 African Cup of Nations because of a shoulder injury, Yves Bissouma participated in his second African Cup of Nations at Cameroon with the Malian national team. He took part in all of his national team's matches in the tournament and was able to provide the assist to his team's only goal in their 1-1 defeat against the Gambia in their second group stage match.

He began his career at the Majestic Academy in 2009, playing with Adama Traoré and others. He transferred to AS Real Bamako in 2014. Bissouma moved to France in 2016, eventually joining Ligue 1 side OSC Lille. He signed his first professional contract four months after arriving at Lille.

During his first season in 2016/17, Bissouma frequently made only short appearances. He featured in 23 league games. Bissouma scored his first professional goal on 11 February 2017 against SCO Angers. In the 2017/18 season that followed, Bissouma began to find himself in Lille's starting line-up more and more often and made 24 appearances in Ligue 1, scoring two goals and setting up another.

At the start of the 2018/19 season, Bissouma made a move to Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion. With the Seagulls, he signed a five-year contract. His English Premier League debut for Brighton came on 11 August 2018, in a 2-0 away defeat to Watford FC. In his first season, he made 28 league appearances. He scored his first league goal for Brighton in a 2-1 away win against Burnley FC on 26 July 2020. In that 2019/20 season, he made 22 league appearances.

Yves Bissouma was given his first cap with the Mali team on 18 October 2015, against Mauritania with a 2-1 victory. In late 2015, he was named with Mali's Under-23 team to take part in the 2015 African Cup of Nations for Under-23s in Senegal. The Malians were eliminated in the group stage.

He scored his first international goal in the semifinals of the 2016 African Cup of Nations against Ivory Coast on 4 February 2016 with a score of 1-0. It was a special moment for him as he scored against his native country. Following the match, he commented that 'football has no nationality, it is a game, a pleasure'. He was selected by Alain Giresse in January 2017 as one of 23 players for the 2017 African Cup of Nations.

André Zambo Anguissa

The only Cameroonian player to appear in our list of most valuable midfielders in the 2021

is André Zambo Anguissa, whose market value was 30 million euros during the 2021 African Cup Nations. In the 2021 African Cup of Nations, he was a starter in the tournament and played in all of his team's matches except for the third-place playoff match.

During the tournament, they were knocked out on penalties against

in the semifinal and then won the third-place final against surprise Burkina Faso, in a comeback after a three-goal deficit and again on penalties. Some experts believe that he was one of the top 10 best players in Africa 2021.

Having played for Coton Sport, he decided to leave his native country and join Stade de Reims in France, where he played for the reserve team on loan for one season. Though he played a few games in the reserve team, he failed to play a minute with the first team. After several months of scouting by Olympique de Marseille, he was spotted by the club, and the following summer, after a trial at Valenciennes, he joined the club's training centre.

He went through the pre-season with the first team and was regularly called up to the professional squad at the start of the league. His first professional match was in the Europa League against FC Groningen, followed by his first match in Ligue 1 on the 6th day against Olympique Lyonnais when he came on in place of Abdelaziz Barrada. A couple of weeks later, he started for the first time against Angers SCO.

Following the first season with 13 matches, he won more playing time during the 2016-2017 season and even achieved an important place at the club as he took part in 37 matches, most of which were in the league. During his third season at the club, he was frequently selected and played in fifty-six games. He also participated in Marseille's epic European Cup campaign, with Olympique de Marseille reaching the final of the Europa League in 2018, only to lose to Atlético Madrid three 3-0.

Although it was the wish of the Marseille management to keep him, on 9 August 2018, Fulham FC suggested an unexpected offer of around 30 million euros, which Marseille's management immediately accepted. The player, therefore, joined the Premier League. After joining Fulham, he had two loan spells at Villareal and Napoli, which he is currently playing at.

He was called up to the senior Cameroon national team in March 2017 to take part in two friendlies against

and Guinea and debuted as a starter against the former. He was selected three months later to participate in the Confederations Cup and scored his first goal for the national team on the second day of the group stage played against Australia (1-1). He participated in the 2019 African Cup of Nations, where his side passed the group stage but was eliminated in the round of 16 against Nigeria.

Ismaël Bennacer

One of the best players of the Algerian team, Ismael Bennacer, is part of our list of most valuable midfielders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with a market value of 30 million euros. He played only two of the three group stage matches during the tournament after missing the first match because of suspension. It turned out to be a disaster for Algeria as they were knocked out on the group stage.

He began playing in the youth teams of Arles-Avignon, a team from his hometown. He became part of the B team, playing in the Championnat de France amateur, which is the fifth level of French football, and made 16 appearances in two seasons. He debuted with the first team in the French Cup on 3 January 2015 in a 2-1 defeat at Red Star, where he scored the visitors' only goal. He also made his league debut six days later, in a 1-1 away draw against Orléans. He ended the season with 7 appearances for the first team.

He was purchased by Arsenal in the summer of 2015 when he was 17 years old and was added to their youth team, which also participated in the UEFA Youth League. He debuted in the first team on 27 October 2015, in a 3-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup. This remained his only appearance with the first team, however. In the middle of the following season, on 31 January 2017, on the very last day of the winter transfer window, he moved back to France, switching to Tours on loan in Ligue 2. He finished his loan with 16 appearances and one goal in the league.

The Gunners sold him permanently to Empoli on 21 August 2017, when he was 19 years old, in Serie B, where he signed a four-year contract. He debuted with the Tuscans on 26 August, in the first league match, drawn 1-1 at Ternana, entering at 62 minutes in place of Zappella. With Andreazzoli's arrival, he was a key man for the Azzurri's midfield, concluding the season with 39 appearances, two goals and the championship victory.

He made his Serie A debut on 19 August 2018 in the match against Cagliari, replacing Antonino La Gumina in the 80th minute. By the end of his first season in the major league, which concluded with the relegation of the Tuscans, he was, along with Giovanni Di Lorenzo, one of the most used players in the squad in the league, only missing one match due to disqualification.

Milan bought him from Empoli on 4 August 2019. Following a difficult start, his performance improved as he was fielded as a regular starter as a central midfielder alongside teammate Franck Kessié in the 4-2-3-1 form used by coach Stefano Pioli. At the start of the following season, he debuted in the European competitions, winning 2-0 in Dublin against Shamrock Rovers. He sustained an injury at the end of the year, which was followed by subsequent muscle pains, greatly limiting his appearances during the season.

After playing for different youth ranks of France national team, it was in the summer of 2016 that he opted for Algeria, because of his mother's origins, in which he made his senior national team debut on 4 September in the 6-0 win over Lesotho in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers. He was part of his national team in the 2017 AFCON but never played a match, but in the 2019 edition, they managed to win the tournament, and he was named the competition's best player.

Naby Keïta

The second Guinean player to appear in our list of most valuable midfielders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations is Naby Keita, the central midfielder of Liverpool, who made it to this list having a market value of 30 million euros. During his prime days in 2018, he had a market value of 65 million euros, and his market value has declined over the past years. He played in all three group stage matches of his team and scored a goal in the third match against Zimbabwe. With good performances, he was one of the best players at AFCON 2022.

He was 9 years old when he started playing football for his hometown team. He joined the French youth team FC Istres from Horoya in 2013 after FC Lorient and Le Mans were unable to convince him. Soon after, he was promoted to the first team. He debuted in the second division on 22 November 2013 against Nîmes Olympique, where he scored and assisted. He ended the season with 4 goals in 23 league games and attracted the attention of several clubs.

In the summer of 2014, he transferred to Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg, and made his league debut on 26 July against Wiener Neustadt, where he played 81 matches and scored 20 goals before his departure, becoming a key player for his club. He transferred to sister club RB Leipzig of Germany in June 2016, making his debut with a goal against Borussia Dortmund on 10 September. In his first season, he made 31 league appearances, scoring 8 goals.

It was announced on 28 August 2017 that he will join Liverpool in the summer of 2018 after the club activated his buy-out clause. Officially, he was unveiled on 27 June 2018 by the English club, who had paid £48 million for him. In his new club, he was given the number eight jersey. He made his first appearance on 12 August 2018 against West Ham.

He scored his first goal on 5 April 2019 against Southampton. On 1 June 2019, he helped the club win the Champions League but missed the final due to injury. He netted the first goal against Monterrey on 18 December 2019, as Liverpool won the Club World Cup 2-1.

He debuted with the Guinean national team on 28 July 2013 in a friendly match against Mali. He took part in the 2015 African Cup of Nations with his national team in January 2015, although he was knocked out in the first round. He scored his first goal in the national team on 12 November 2015 against Namibia in a qualifying match for the 2018 World Cup. He wore the captain's armband of the national team for the first time on 7 October 2017 in the 4-1 home loss to Tunisia.

Thomas Partey

Thomas Partey is the only Ghanaian player to appear in this list of most valuable midfielders in the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations with a total market value of 40 million euros, making him one of the most valuable African players. Although his team had a disappointing tournament, but Thomas Partey was amongst the good midfielders of the tournament provided two assists to his teammates in the group stage matches against Gabon and Comoros.

Thomas was trained by Ghanaian club FC Odometa, for whom he also played his first senior matches in Ghana's league. In 2011, he moved to Spain, first playing for Atlético's junior team for a year before being brought up to the club's B team. He trained with the senior team in the summer of 2013 and also played in training matches. The next season, Atlético loaned Thomas to Mallorca, who were playing at the second-highest level of the Spanish league system. Thomas received a lot of playing time at the loan club, scoring five goals in total and attracting the interest of several clubs.

Thomas was loaned by Atlético to Almeria for one season in July 2014. According to press reports, he agreed on a new contract until 2020 before his loan transfer. His loan spell ended with Almeria's relegation from the top flight, but Thomas was nevertheless regarded as a good player. Towards the end of the summer of 2015, Atlético's management decided to keep Thomas in the club's senior squad, but he did not make his league debut for Atlético until a home game against Espanyol at the end of November.

He transferred to Arsenal on 5 October 2020, which paid the sum of €50 million included in the release clause in his contract with Atlético Madrid. Since his arrival at Arsenal, he has proved himself as one of the key midfielders and so far has played in a total of 44 league matches for the Gunners.

He was summoned for the first time by the Ghanaian national team, where he made his debut on 5 June 2016, at the age of 23, in the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Mauritius. He participated in the Africa Cup of Nations with his national team in 2017. He was again called up for the continental event two years later.

Franck Kessié

The second Ivorian footballer in this list of most valuable midfielders in 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, which had a total market value of 48 million euros during the tournament and thus is one of the most valuable African players. Kessié was selected by coach Patrice Beaumelle to play in the African Cup of Nations in December 2021. During the competitions, Franck Kessie was a key player of the team in all four matches leading to the round of 16. He scored one of his team's goals in the third group stage match against Algeria.

Kessié was a youth player for Stella Club Adjamé. The Italian first division club Atalanta Bergamo brought him on loan in January 2015 for a six-month period, which he spent in their youth system. Kessié made his first professional appearance for the Nerazzurri in a 1-1 draw with AS Roma in April 2015, but failed to make an appearance.

Following his loan spell, Atalanta Bergamo secured Kessié on a permanent basis from Stella Club Adjamé and added him to their professional squad. He was loaned to AC Cesena for the 2015/16 second division season to get match practice. For Cesena, Kessié played 36 games during the season and scored four goals.

For the 2016/17 season, Kessié moved back to Atalanta Bergamo. He scored his first goal for Atalanta in a competitive match in his first competitive match for Atalanta, which was a 3-0 cup win over US Cremonese in the 3rd round of the 2016/17 Coppa Italia on 13 August 2016. Just one week later, in the season opener, Kessié scored two goals on his Serie A debut in a 4-3 defeat to Lazio Roma.

Kessié was loaned to Milan on 2 June 2017 on a two-year deal that would later turn into a permanent move. Since his arrival in AC Milan, Franck Kessie has played in a total of 213 matches for the Italian club in all competitions and scored 38 goals for them, which is good for a defensive midfielder.

He took part in the 2013 Under-17 World Cup with the Ivorian national team, reaching the quarterfinals. He captained the Ivorian team that won the 2013 Under-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Marrakech, Morocco, against Nigeria on penalties.

Franck Kessié won his first cap with the Ivory Coast national team against Sierra Leone on 6 September 2014. He started at centre-back for the match, which his team won by two goals to one. At the 2019 African Cup of Nations, Kessié scored a hat-trick of assists against Namibia (1-4).

Wilfred Ndidi

The most valuable midfielder in 2021 Africa Cup of Nations is the Nigerian Wilfred Ndidi, who currently has a market value of 60 million euros and is one of the most valuable African players. Since his arrival in Leicester City, he has seen his market value constantly increase. During the 2021 African Cup of Nations in Cameroon, he was a key member of the Super Eagles team and played in his team's four matches.

Ndidi began his career with Belgian club Genk. He played his first match in the Belgian Pro League for Genk on the last day of January 2015 against Charleroi. In the Belgian league playoffs against Club Brugge, Ndidi netted a goal from a distance, which was named "Goal of the Season" in the Belgian league. Following a deflected ball bouncing towards him, he finished around a defending player, and fired a volley into the top right corner of the goal. The ball was travelling at over 111 km/h.

Wilfred Ndidi moved to the English Premier League club Leicester City for a reported transfer fee of £17 million in the transfer window in January 2017. Ndidi made his competitive debut for the club two days after his arrival at the club in a 2-1 win against Everton in the FA Cup. His first Premier League match was on 14 January 2017 against Chelsea, in which they were defeated 3-0. In the 2017 FA Cup match against Derby County on 8 February 2017, Ndidi netted his first goal for Leicester in the first half of extra time with a shot from a distance.

Ndidi made his Champions League debut with Leicester, playing his first game in the competition on 22 February 2017, when he was given a start in the first leg of the round of 16 against Sevilla FC, which Leicester lost 2-1. With an adductor injury in late September 2020, Ndidi's estimated absence was three months. But he returned to full training in mid-November. He finally made his comeback in a Europa League game on 3 December 2020 against Zorya Luhansk, against whom his team lost (1-0).

He took part in the Toulon Tournament in 2013 with the Nigerian national team. This was followed by the 2013 U20 World Cup in Turkey and the 2015 U20 World Cup in New Zealand. In total, he played 7 games in the U20 World Cup. However, Wilfred Ndidi won his first cap for the Nigerian national team on 8 October 2015, in a friendly against DR Congo. He replaced Ogenyi Onazi in the match, which his team lost (0-2). Ndidi was selected by coach Gernot Rohr to play in the African Cup of Nations in December 2021.

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