Kelechi Iheanacho @26: Birth, Career, Weekly wage, Future prospects
Super Eagles and Leicester City forward Kelechi Iheanacho turns 26 today Monday October 3, 2022 .
SportsRation correspondent Nsikakabasi Akpan presents this article of the Kelechi Iheanacho’s birth , career to date , current weekly wage and future prospects .
BIRTH
Born on the 3rd of October 1996 in Owerri , Imo state , Nigeria. Kelechi Promise Iheanacho hails from the Igbo ethnic group .
He lived his childhood and early teen ages in Owerri with his parents . It is in Owerri that Kelechi developed his football skills that by time he joined the National U-17 camp , he was a star waiting for a platform to shine .
FOOTBALL CAREER TO DATE
Kelechi Iheanacho arrived at the Golden Eaglets camp as a product of Taye Football Academy Owerri .
At the 2013 U-17 FIFA World Cup , Kelechi Iheanacho put in superlative performances to inspire the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria to win the title .
That was his breathrough tunnel, so at the end of the tournament , the likes of Sporting Lisbon , FC Porto , Arsenal and Manchester City were battling to secure his services .
Kelechi Iheanacho’s first professional contract was huge , just like the hype and expectations that followed his Golden ball display at the 2013 U-17 World Cup.
On 10th January 2015 , Kelechi Iheanacho signed his first Professional contract with Manchester City aged 18 .
Eight years on , the forward has grown from being a youngster to a full grown adult representing Leicester City in the English Premier League .
During his time at Manchester City from 2015-2017 , Kelechi Iheanacho made 46 appearances scoring 12 times.
A large chunk of his City appearances were off the bench as the forward was seen more like a work in progress in a star studded Manchester City team.
With just over a month to his 21st birthday , Kelechi Iheanacho agreed a move to Leicester City in the summer of 2017 .
To date , Kelechi Iheanacho has scored 26 goals in 128 appearances for the Foxes .
Though he has not been able to tie down a regular spot in the starting XI , the Nigerian forward has remained a valuable option for Brendan Rodgers at the King power .
During this time , Kelechi Iheanacho has established himself as a full international with the Super Eagles and was in action when Nigeria fell to a 2-1 friendly loss to Algeria on September 27 , 2022 .
WEEKLY WAGE AND CURRENT MARKET VALUATION
His transfer from Taye Academy to Manchester City fetched €1.10m according to transfrmarkt .
Two years later , Kelechi Iheanacho fetched City €27.70m following his transfer to Leicester City .
From a £10,000 weekly wage in his first professional contract, Kelechi Iheanacho now earns £90,000 weekly at Leicester City and his current contract runs until June 30, 2024 .
According to multiple sources , the Nigerian forward who is managed by ICM Stellar Sports is valued at £20million .
FUTURE PROSPECTS
There is a margin between what was expected from Kelechi Iheanacho’s career in 2013 to what the story tells in 2022 but it’s been a fairly successful journey to date .
At 26 , the future starts today for Kelechi Iheanacho as Leicester City host Nottingham Forest in week 8 of the 2022/2023 EPL season .
A struggling start to the season it has been for Leicester City who have failed to win any of their first seven games and sit at the bottom of the standings with 1 point .
If selected by under-fire manager Brendan Rodgers on Monday night , Kelechi Iheanacho can launch a new chapter to his career by firing the foxes to victory on his Birthday .
His fans are hoping to see him feature regularly at club level and there is a good chance now that Veteran forward Jamie Vardy is a shadow of his prolific self .
With age comes experience and Kelechi Iheanacho still has that magical left foot to reach the top and achieve more success in club football .
At international level , Kelechi Iheanacho has 12 goals and could still hit 15 more to equal Rashidi Yekini’s all time goalscoring record for Nigeria .
A consistent club performance will be key to how long he remains part of the National team set-up with Nigeria blessed with up and rising attacking options .
As he marks his 26th birthday today , Kelechi Iheanacho could still play a decade more of active football and has just arrived in the peak age of every footballers career.
