Super Eagles stars rally around Ndidi on emotional return to club after father's burial

Wilfred Ndidi has given the world one of those moments that reminds you why football matters after a brilliant return to club football on Sunday.

Four days after burying his father in Nigeria, the Super Eagles midfielder pulled on his Besiktas shirt, walked out at the Tupras Stadyumu, and delivered a performance that left nobody in the stadium or watching from home with dry eyes.

Besiktas won 4-0 over Goztepe. But the scoreline was almost irrelevant.

Nine minutes. That is how long it took Ndidi to write himself into Besiktas history books.

From an Orkun Kokcu corner, the midfielder rose highest at the centre post winning the aerial duel as he has won every aerial duel in the entire game, with authority and timing that borders on supernatural and powered a header into the net.

Then he stopped, arm raised, and right hand to his temple. A soldier's salute, offered not to the crowd, not to the cameras, but to a man who wore that uniform and who was no longer here to see his son conquer European football.

Ndidi's father was a former soldier. In that one gesture, his son told the entire world that he had not forgotten where he came from, and who made him who he is. The stadium understood. So did everyone watching.

The performance behind the emotion

It would have been enough for Ndidi to simply show up. Nobody would have questioned a quiet, understated performance from a man carrying that kind of grief.

Instead, he was immense.

Forty-three passes completed. Seven aerial duels won from seven; a perfect record in the department that defines him. Nine key defensive actions. Eleven duels won across the entire match, more than any other player on the pitch. Three interceptions. Three recoveries. Two tackles.

He did receive a yellow card in the 15th minute for a tactical foul, the kind of disciplined cynicism that tells you a midfielder's mind is completely locked in, but it barely registered against the backdrop of everything else he produced.

Besiktas were dominant from start to finish, and Ndidi was the reason. His manager knew it. The fans knew it. And by the time the final whistle blew, Goztepe knew it too.

The result moved Besiktas up to fourth place in the Super Lig, leapfrogging their opponents in the race for European qualification. A good day for the club. An unforgettable one for their number eight.

When Ndidi posted his celebratory photo on Instagram, that iconic salute front and centre, his comment section became something beautiful.

Kelechi Iheanacho arrived first, with four words that said everything: "He's his father's son." It is the kind of line that stops you mid-scroll. Simple, true, and devastating in the best possible way.

Alex Iwobi, fresh from his own starring performance for Fulham in the Premier League, left a praying emoji, quiet but present, the way a teammate should be.

Super Eagles goalkeeper Francis Uzoho kept it equally short: "Skippo." One word. A world of respect inside it.

Former captain William Troost-Ekong showed up. Chidozie Awaziem showed up. Tammy Abraham showed up. The Super Eagles family, scattered across Europe in their respective clubs and cities, found each other in a comment section to tell one of their own that he was not alone.

That is the Super Eagles at their best. Not always in the results, not always in the trophies, but in the moments that matter beyond football.

Ndidi has always been one of Nigerian football's most respected figures, a leader without ego, a warrior without theatre, a professional who lets his performances speak so that he never has to.

Sunday was different only because the world was watching more closely than usual, and what they saw confirmed everything his teammates already knew. He is his father's son.

And on Sunday in Istanbul, still carrying his grief, still wearing his heart on his sleeve, Wilfred Ndidi showed the entire world what that means.