#8 Kelechi Iheanacho (F)
Leicester City Football Club completed the signing of striker Kelechi Ịheanachọ from Manchester City for an undisclosed fee in August 2017.
The 20-year-old Nigeria international put pen-to-paper on a contract to 2022, joining fellow Nigeria internationals Wilfred Ndidi and Ahmed Musa among the Leicester City ranks.
He arrived at King Power Stadium with an outstanding record in domestic and international football, having represented Nigeria with distinction at Under-13s, Under-17s, Under-20s and senior level, while he progressed rapidly through the ranks at Manchester City.
The Manchester side secured his signature ahead of a host of Europe’s élite clubs after Kelechi’s displays for Nigeria Under-17s in the U17 World Cup earned him the FIFA Golden Ball award and saw his country crowned world champions – scoring six times and grabbing seven assists in the process.
From that point, things moved quickly for the youngster. He soon began scoring goals for Manchester City’s Academy, trained with Columbus Crew in the United States, scored in the 2015 FA Youth Cup Final and netted the only goal against Porto as his team lifted the 2015 Premier League International Cup.
Another series of eye-catching displays in his team’s 2015/16 pre-season saw the young striker called on for first team duties for the first time in August 2015 – making his professional debut as an 18-year-old in a 2-0 home win over Watford.
His first goal came against Crystal Palace a few weeks later while he underlined his promise with a stunning FA Cup hat-trick against Aston Villa in January 2016. He was used mainly as a substitute in his first season of professional football, but despite making 11 starts, he still managed to end the campaign with 14 goals in all competitions.
Ịheanachọ continued to build on his impressive reputation in front of goal last term as he scored his 10th Premier League goal before the age of 20, found the back of the net in the UEFA Champions League and only narrowly missed out to Bayern Munich’s Renato Sanches for the FIFA Golden Boy award.
At senior international level, Ịheanachọ made his Nigeria debut in 2015 and despite his young age, has firmly established himself as a key man for his country. In just 10 appearances, he has scored six times – most recently in a friendly victory over Togo in June.
In total, Ịheanachọ has scored 12 times in the Premier League during 46 appearances (12 starts) while he has 21 goals in 64 games (20 starts) in all competitions for Manchester City.
FULL NAME
Kelechi Iheanacho
NATIONALITY
Nigeria
DATE OF BIRTH
3 October 1996
HEIGHT
6'1" (185cm)
WEIGHT
12st 13lbs (82kg)
PROFESSIONAL DEBUT
27 July 2014
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