Inspiring Story of Kelechi Iheanacho’s Meteoric Rise To Football Fame

Whenever the name Kelechi Iheanacho is mentioned in football circle, what people visualise is a young man who was fortunate to find himself in soccer hall of fame.

However his story is not as easy as many thought. His struggle in life has been described as topsy turvy by close friends and allies.

As a youth, Iheanacho represented Taye Academy in Owerri. His performances for Nigeria in the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup led to interest from clubs in Europe. Teams following his progress included Arsenal, Sporting Clube de Portugal and Porto.

In December 2013, Iheanacho travelled to England to discuss a move to Manchester City where he signed a pre-contract agreement with the club, stating his intent to formally sign for Manchester City on his 18th birthday in October 2014. In the interim, he returned to Nigeria. As the year drew to a close, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) named him the Most Promising Talent of the Year for 2013 during the CAF Awards.

But just how much do you know about the personal life of the youngster?

Golden Eaglets' Kelechi Iheanacho won the Golden Ball award at 2013 Fifa U17 World Cup

His mother, Mercy, died some years ago precisely in February after a short illness. Her death meant that the young footballer would have to depend heavily on his father.

In an interview he granted to UK’s Daily Mail, Iheanacho said: ‘My father (James) was a trader and my mum was a teacher, but she was laid to rest a few years ago which was really hard for all of us.

‘I have two brothers and a sister back in Nigeria as well. Everything I do, I do for my mum and my family – that’s what drives me.

‘My dad is back home and I’m living on my own in Manchester at the moment.

‘But I think a lot of kids back home have been encouraged by what’s happened to me and by where I am today. They can’t believe what I’ve achieved at just 19 years of age and it further gives them the belief that they can make it too.’

Manchester City fought off competition from FC Porto and Sporting Lisbon to agree a pre-contract with Iheanacho, but had a long wait before completing the signing and securing a work permit.

He added: ‘I’d played a few games at the Under-17 World Cup finals, and that’s when I agreed a deal with City. In all honesty, I didn’t know that much about the club at the time.

‘I was close to signing for FC Porto where I really wanted to go. City are such a big team with so many fantastic players, I didn’t believe I’d have a future here. But my father did and he gave me the confidence I needed. I’m happy I took his advice.’

‘I first heard of City's interest when I was with Nigeria for the World Under-17 qualifiers," he said. "When we finished the qualification process, I had a few scouts approaching me and telling me I had quite a few clubs interested in signing me. But I didn't want to sign for anyone at that time, I just wanted to enjoy my football.”

Today, Iheanacho's consistency and goal poaching instinct has forced him to claim a first team shirt ahead of established midfield players like Samir Nasri whose nagging injury woes has continued for some time now.

In fact, many believed that the likes of Edin Dzeko were offloaded to pave way for youthful talents like him a chance for the future.

The giant leap of Kel, as his friends fondly call him, from the grassroots to one of the biggest clubs in the world has continue to elicit hope from young struggling footballers across Africa.

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