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The father of former Premier League star Wilfred Ndidi has tragically died in a car crash. Sunday Ndidi, who was a soldier in Nigeria, was killed in a road collision which happened on Tuesday morning.

Ndidi's current club, Besiktas, confirmed the news in a statement. The Turkish giants said: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of our footballer Wilfred Ndidi's esteemed father, Sunday Ndidi, in a fatal traffic accident.

"May Allah grant mercy to the deceased; we extend our condolences to our footballer Wilfred Ndidi, his family, and loved ones."

Ndidi, 29, joined Besiktas in a £10million move from Leicester last summer. The midfielder had spent eight years at Leicester, memorably helping them win the 2021 FA Cup final against Chelsea.

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Ndidi played more than 300 times for the Foxes, with 220 of those appearances coming in the Premier League. The Nigeria captain was recently in action for his country at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Having started four of their first five matches, Ndidi suffered an injury which ruled him out of their semi-final clash with hosts Morocco. Nigeria lost the match after a penalty shootout and the 30-year-old didn't feature in their third-place play-off against Egypt, who they beat on pens to take the bronze medal.

The ex-Leicester man scored in Nigeria's 3-2 win against Tunisia in the group stage. Post-match, Ndidi dedicated his goal to his dad and former Arsenal striker Nwankwo Kanu, who was one of Sunday's heroes.

"It was for Papilo, the legend Kanu Nwankwo," Ndidi said. "Growing up, my dad was a huge fan of Kanu. In our house, Kanu was the ultimate hero.

"My dad always talked about his grace, his goals, and how he represented Nigeria. I actually told myself before the game that if I scored, I had to do it for my dad. He's the one who pushed me into football and always told me stories of the greats.

"Celebrating like Kanu in a Super Eagles jersey is my way of saying thank you to my father for all his support and for showing me the way. It's a very proud moment for my family."

In 2017, the ex-Genk prospect opened up on his father's influence. "My family were not really into football. My dad wanted me to go to school, not play football," Ndidi told the Leicester Mercury.

"My dad watched it on the television but he didn't want me to play football. He is a soldier, but he didn't want me to follow in his footsteps, he just wanted me to go to school.

"I did miss out on some school because of football. When I moved to Nath Boys academy, then I started to miss out on some of my schooling."

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