Salah on song as Liverpool beat Crystal Palace

Wilfred Ndidi has said he knew he had made it as a pro footballer when he walked into a Gucci store in Belgium knowing he could buy anything he wanted.

The Leicester City midfielder, 21, was playing for previous club Genk at the time.

He said: “I went into the Gucci shop and saw a sweatshirt, which most of the cool music artists in Nigeria were wearing at the time.

“It was plain black and had a teddy bear on it. I thought, ‘Wow, I can really afford this’.

“In fact, I knew, for the first time in my life, I could afford anything in there.

“I was feeling happy because I loved that top and wanted it.

“This was the first big thing I bought with my wages.”

Ndidi was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria.

He added: “I remember when I was about 14 or 15, I was at the Nath Academy and we got prize money for winning the Lagos Academy League but I could only afford a pair of flip flops.

“They were Nike and I was proud to own a pair.

“There are so many things I couldn’t afford.”

Ndidi and his friends sometimes had to do with a football made from paper and sticky tape. 55

He has come a long way since those humble days.

Not only can he now afford almost anything he wants, he can tackle anyone he wants too.

He is miles ahead of everyone for most successful tackles in the Prem, including the man he was brought in to replace, N’Golo Kante, who left for Chelsea.