Kelechi Iheanacho facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This page is about the footballer born in 1996. For the footballer born in 1981, see Kelechi Iheanacho (footballer, born 1981).

Quick facts for kids
Kelechi Iheanacho

Iheanacho playing for Leicester City in 2021

Personal information

Date of birth

3 October 1996 (age 28)

Place of birth

Owerri, Imo State, Nigeria

Height

1.85 m

Playing position

Striker

Club information

Current club

Sevilla

Number

Youth career

2011–2014

Taye Academy

2014–2015

Manchester City

Senior career*

Years

Team

Apps^†

(Gls)^†

2015–2017

Manchester City

(12)

2017–2024

Leicester City

173

(35)

2024–

Sevilla

(0)

National team^‡

2013–2015

Nigeria U17

(8)

2015–2017

Nigeria U20

(0)

2015–

Nigeria

(15)

Honours

Men's football

Representing Nigeria
Africa Cup of Nations
Runner-up	2023
FIFA U-17 World Cup
Winner	2013

Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 23:45, 14 December 2024 (UTC).

† Appearances (Goals).

‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 23:51, 18 November 2024 (UTC)

Kelechi Promise Iheanacho is a professional footballer from Nigeria. He was born on 3 October 1996. Kelechi plays as a striker for Sevilla in Spain. He also plays for the Nigeria national team.

Iheanacho started his senior career at Manchester City in the 2015–16 season. There, he won the Football League Cup. In 2017, he moved to Leicester City. This transfer was a big deal, costing about £25 million. He helped Leicester City win the 2020–21 FA Cup for the first time. He also scored the winning goal in the 2021 FA Community Shield.

For his country, Iheanacho played for Nigeria's under-17 team. He won the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup and was named the best player. He later played for the under-20 team. He made his debut for the senior national team in 2015. He has played in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the Africa Cup of Nations. In 2023, his team finished as runner-up in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Kelechi Iheanacho's Club Journey

Playing for Manchester City

Starting His Career

Iheanacho with Manchester City in 2015

Kelechi Iheanacho was born in Owerri, Nigeria. As a young player, he trained at Taye Academy in Owerri. His amazing skills at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup caught the eye of many European clubs. These included Arsenal and Sporting CP.

In December 2012, Iheanacho visited England to talk about joining Manchester City. He agreed to sign with the club when he turned 18 in October 2014. He then went back to Nigeria. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) named him the Most Promising Talent of the Year for 2013.

Iheanacho officially joined Manchester City's Academy in January 2015. Before the 2014–15 season, he joined City's pre-season tour in the United States. He scored in his first game against Sporting Kansas City. He also scored against Milan.

There were some delays in getting his work permit. This meant Iheanacho could not play in England until February 2015. He played for Manchester City's youth and under-21 teams. He scored in the FA Youth Cup final, but his team lost to Chelsea. The next week, he scored the only goal to help Manchester City win the 2014–15 Premier League International Cup.

Breakthrough in the 2015–16 Season

In July 2015, Iheanacho joined City's pre-season tour in Australia. He helped set up goals and scored against Roma. He also helped his team win big against the Vietnam national team. Because of his great pre-season, Iheanacho joined Manchester City's senior team.

On 10 August 2015, Iheanacho was part of the first-team squad for a game. He made his official debut on 29 August. He came on as a substitute in a 2–0 win against Watford. He scored his first goal on 12 September. He came on in the last minute and scored the winning goal against Crystal Palace.

Iheanacho scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) on 30 January 2016. This was against Aston Villa in the FA Cup. He also helped set up another goal in that game. The next month, he was added to City's UEFA Champions League squad. In February, he scored against Tottenham Hotspur.

On 23 April 2016, Iheanacho scored two goals against Stoke City. He scored another two goals on 1 May against Southampton. Iheanacho ended the 2015–16 season with 8 Premier League goals. He scored a goal every 93.9 minutes, which was the best rate of any player. He finished as City's third-highest scorer with 14 goals and 5 assists.

The 2016–17 Season

On 10 September 2016, Iheanacho started in the Manchester derby. He scored his first goal of the season and helped set up another in a 2–1 win. Four days later, he scored his first European goal for Manchester City in the Champions League. This was in a 4–0 win against Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Three days later, Iheanacho scored and assisted another goal against AFC Bournemouth. This goal meant he had scored 10 Premier League goals before turning 20. This put him on a special list with players like Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen.

In October 2016, Iheanacho was nominated for the FIFA Golden Boy award. This award is for the best young player in Europe. Iheanacho's last goal for City came against Huddersfield in an FA Cup replay.

Joining Leicester City

From 2017 to 2020

Iheanacho with Nigeria in 2017

Leicester City signed Iheanacho on 3 August 2017. He signed a five-year contract for about £25 million. He played his first game for Leicester on 11 August 2017. He scored his first goal for Leicester in an EFL Cup game against Leeds United.

On 16 January 2018, Iheanacho made history. He was the first player in English football to be given a goal using video assistant referee (VAR). The referee had first ruled him offside, but VAR showed he was onside. This goal was his second in an FA Cup win against Fleetwood Town.

Amazing 2020–21 Season

Iheanacho did not start many games at the beginning of the 2020–21 season. But injuries to other players gave him more chances to play. He then went on an amazing scoring run, getting 12 goals in 10 games.

He scored his first Premier League hat-trick on 14 March 2021 against Sheffield United. A week later, he scored two goals against Manchester United in the FA Cup quarter-finals. This sent Leicester into the semi-finals for the first time since 1982. Iheanacho won the Premier League Player of the Month award for March 2021.

On 3 April, Iheanacho signed a new three-year contract with Leicester. On 18 April, he scored the only goal in the FA Cup semi-final against Southampton. This win sent Leicester to their first FA Cup final since 1969.

Winning the Community Shield in 2021

Iheanacho and Leicester started the 2021–22 season with the 2021 FA Community Shield game. This was against his old club, Manchester City. Iheanacho came on as a substitute and scored the winning goal from a penalty kick.

Leicester's Relegation and Promotion

In the 2022–23 season, Iheanacho received Leicester's Player of the Year award. However, the club was relegated from the Premier League.

In the 2023–24 season, Iheanacho scored six goals. His club won the EFL Championship, which meant they were promoted back to the Premier League. On 7 June, Leicester City announced that he would be leaving the club.

Moving to Sevilla

On 31 July 2024, Iheanacho joined the Spanish club Sevilla. He moved there for free after his contract with Leicester City ended.

Kelechi Iheanacho's International Career

Playing for Youth Teams

Iheanacho has played for Nigeria's youth teams since he was under 13. His first big international tournament was the 2013 African U-17 Championship. He scored a hat-trick in a game against Botswana. He dedicated these goals to his mother, who had passed away two months earlier. Nigeria reached the final but lost on penalties.

Iheanacho played a very important role in the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup. He won the Golden Ball award for the best player in the tournament. Nigeria won the competition, and Iheanacho scored six goals and made seven assists. He was also part of Nigeria's under-20 team for the 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Playing for the Senior National Team

Iheanacho made his debut for the senior Nigeria team in a World Cup qualifying match in 2015. His first start for the team was on 25 March 2016 against Egypt.

In May 2016, Iheanacho played in friendly matches against Mali and Luxembourg. He scored in both games. His good performances helped him become an important player for the team. He scored two great goals in World Cup qualification matches.

In June 2018, he was chosen for Nigeria's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.

In December 2021, Iheanacho was part of Nigeria's squad for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations. He scored Nigeria's first goal of the tournament against Egypt.

In December 2023, he was called up for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. In the semi-final against South Africa, Iheanacho scored the winning penalty in a shootout. This sent his country to the final.

Kelechi Iheanacho's Player Style

How He Plays

In Nigeria, Kelechi Iheanacho is known as the Senior Man. He is known for his great vision, dribbling skills, speed, and finishing. He is mainly a striker, but he can play anywhere in the attacking part of the field. Experts often say he is one of the most effective strikers in England.

His Goal Celebration

After scoring a goal, Iheanacho has a special way of celebrating. He goes down on his knees and points both hands towards the sky. He has said that this celebration is inspired by his favorite wrestler, Bryan Danielson. In 2013, the wrestler even recognized him after Iheanacho helped Nigeria win a game with four goals.

Personal Life

Kelechi Iheanacho is from the Igbo ethnic group in Nigeria. He is a Christian.

Career Statistics

Club

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club	Season	League			National cup		League cup		Europe		Other		Total
Club	Season	Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Manchester City	2015–16	Premier League	26	8	3	4	2	2	4	0	—		35	14
	2016–17	Premier League	20	4	3	1	2	0	4	2	—		29	7
	Total		46	12	6	5	4	2	8	2	—		64	21
Leicester City	2017–18	Premier League	21	3	5	4	2	1	—		—		28	8
	2018–19	Premier League	30	1	1	0	4	1	—		—		35	2
	2019–20	Premier League	20	5	2	1	4	4	—		—		26	10
	2020–21	Premier League	25	12	6	4	1	0	7	3	—		39	19
	2021–22	Premier League	26	4	1	1	3	1	12	1	1	1	43	8
	2022–23	Premier League	28	5	3	3	4	0	—		—		35	8
	2023–24	Championship	23	5	1	0	2	1	—		—		26	6
	Total		173	35	19	13	20	8	19	4	1	1	232	61
Sevilla	2024–25	La Liga	9	0	2	3	—		—		—		11	3
Career total			228	47	27	21	24	10	27	6	1	1	307	85

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year
National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Nigeria	2015	1	0
	2016	6	4
	2017	7	4
	2018	11	0
	2020	4	1
	2021	9	2
	2022	6	1
	2023	6	3
	2024	7	0
Total		57	15

Nigeria score listed first, score column indicates score after each Iheanacho goal.

List of international goals scored by Kelechi Iheanacho
No.	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1	27 May 2016	Stade Robert Diochon, Rouen, France	Mali	1–0	1–0	Friendly
2	31 May 2016	Stade Josy Barthel, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg	Luxembourg	2–0	3–1	Friendly
3	3 September 2016	Akwa Ibom Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria	Tanzania	1–0	1–0	2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
4	9 October 2016	Levy Mwanawasa Stadium, Ndola, Zambia	Zambia	2–0	2–1	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
5	23 March 2017	The Hive Stadium, London, England	Senegal	1–1	1–1	Friendly
6	1 June 2017	Stade Municipal de Saint-Leu-la-Forêt, Paris, France	Togo	3–0	3–0	Friendly
7	1 September 2017	Akwa Ibom Stadium, Uyo, Nigeria	Cameroon	4–0	4–0	2018 FIFA World Cup qualification
8	14 November 2017	Krasnodar Stadium, Krasnodar, Russia	Argentina	1–2	4–2	Friendly
9	13 October 2020	Jacques Lemans Arena, Sankt Veit an der Glan, Austria	Tunisia	1–0	1–1	Friendly
10	3 September 2021	Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria	Liberia	1–0	2–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
11	3 September 2021	Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria	Liberia	2–0	2–0	2022 FIFA World Cup qualification
12	11 January 2022	Roumdé Adjia Stadium, Garoua, Cameroon	Egypt	1–0	1–0	2021 Africa Cup of Nations
13	18 June 2023	Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex, Monrovia, Liberia	Sierra Leone	3–2	3–2	2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification
14	13 October 2023	Estádio Municipal de Portimão, Portimão, Portugal	Saudi Arabia	2–1	2–2	Friendly
15	19 November 2023	Stade Huye, Butare, Rwanda	Zimbabwe	1–1	1–1	2026 FIFA World Cup qualification