Kelechi Iheanacho turns 30 today, a milestone that finds the Super Eagles forward at Bursaspor in the Turkish second tier, a long way from the Manchester City academy prodigy who once looked destined for the very top of the European game.
Iheanacho’s rise was rapid. He won the Golden Ball and Silver Boot at the 2013 U17 World Cup before Manchester City signed him and he was promoted to Pep Guardiola’s first team squad after an impressive pre-season in 2015.
In 2017, he moved to Leicester City reuniting him years later with Brendan Rodgers in a partnership that produced the best football of his career. At Leicester, he was often called “Senior man” especially by his Nigerian teammate, Ndidi.
His greatest moment came when he was in Foxes shirt during the 2020-21 FA Cup run, where he scored four goals, including the semi-final winner against Southampton, as Leicester lifted the trophy for the first time in their history. He added the Community Shield winner from the penalty spot that August.
In 2023, Leicester relegation began a more turbulent spell. Iheanacho stayed on through the Championship promotion push before leaving as a free agent for Sevilla in 2024, where he managed just three goals in eleven appearances.
A loan to Middlesbrough in the second half of that season brought one goal and two assists in 15 games, and by September 2025 his Sevilla contract was mutually terminated.
At Celtic, he reunited with Rodgers. He had five goals in 13 appearances before moving to Bursaspor where he is currently.
Iheanacho’s Super Eagles record has stayed remarkably consistent. He has earned close to 60 caps since his 2015 debut, scored in World Cup qualifiers and was central to Nigeria’s run to the final of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. With the Super Eagles building toward the 2027 AFCON qualifiers, his experience up front remains valuable even as younger forwards push for a starting role.
