Kelechi Iheanacho has been named as the EA Sports English Premier League player of the month, after scoring 5 goals in 3 matches in March including a hat-trick against Sheffield United. Where he combined well with his Nigerian compatriot Wilfred Ndidi and Leicester’s top scorer Jamie Vardy to help trash the blades 5-0.
Kelechi becomes fourth Nigerian to win monthly prize
Iheanacho becomes the fourth Nigerian player to win the award. Following in legendary Jay-Jay Okocha, Peter Odemwingie, and Odion Ighalo’s footsteps.
Previous African winners
Other previous African winners of the monthly prize launched in 1994 include the Ghanian legend – Tony Yeboah who was the first African player to win it.
Arsenal’s Pierre Aubameyang has also won the award twice. Whilst Liverpool duo, Mo Salah and Sadio Mane are the only African players to have won it three times.
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List of African winners of Premier League player of the month
- Tony Yeboah (Leeds United/Ghana) – March and September 1995
- Augustine Jay-Jay Okocha (Bolton/Nigeria) – November 2003
- Peter Osaze Odemwingie (WBA/Nigeria) – September 2010, April 2011 and February 2012
- Diafra Sakho (West Ham/Senegal) – October 2014
- Andre Ayew (Swansea/Ghana) – August 2015
- Odion Ighalo ( Watford/Nigeria) – December 2015
- Sadio Mane (Liverpool/Senegal) – August 2017, March and November 2019
- Mohammed Salah (Liverpool/Egypt) – Nov2017, February and March 2018
- Wilfred Zaha (Crystal Palace/Ivory Coast) – April 2018
- Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal/Gabon) – October 2018 and September 2019
- Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester/Nigeria) – March 2021
Big congratulations to Naija boy – Kelechi Iheanacho for raising the bar in March. Let’s hope this is the beginning of bigger things for the former Manchester City forward.
We are hoping and praying for more African wins in the Premier League and may our Super Eagles players continue to soar abroad.
