Super Eagles star picks Ronaldinho, Aguero, Vardy as his footballing heroes

The Brazilian, Argentine, and Englishman have been some of the finest footballers in the game over the past decade or two

Nigeria international Kelechi Iheanacho says Brazilian and Barcelona great Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, aka Ronaldinho Guacho, was his biggest football idol when he was growing up on the streets of Owerri.

Regarded by many as one of the greatest of all time, Ronaldinho won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d'Or during a twenty-year career that saw him excel at PSG, Barcelona, and AC Milan, among others.

The 2002 FIFA World Cup winner was renowned for his technical skills, creativity, dribbling ability, while his use of tricks, feints, no-look passes, and overhead kicks earned him fans from far and near.

And Iheanacho has confessed that he also fell in love with the AC Milan Hall of Famer.

“Growing up I loved Ronaldinho,” Iheanacho told FIFA.com

“I loved his style of play, confidence, and way he loved football. The way he dribbled, the way he played passes, his touches. He is one of the greatest players of all time.”

Aside from Ronaldinho, Iheanacho also admits he holds Argentine striker Kun Aguero and English forward Jamie Vardy in high regard.

Iheanacho played with Aguero when the Nigerian moved to Manchester City following his triumphant outing at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup. The 25-year-old has since switched to Leicester City, where he has played chiefly as an understudy to Vardy.

But Iheanacho has no bitterness in his heart towards these two iconic strikers, insisting that he has benefited from working with them.

“They (Aguero and Vardy) are two legends,” Iheanacho said.

“It was a really big pleasure to play alongside Kun. He’s a legend and I learnt a lot from him.

“And ‘Vards’ is another legend. He’s one of the best finishers you will see and I’ve learnt a lot from him too.”

Iheanacho is a fine finisher in his own right, having scored 66 goals and 36 assists in 224 games for Manchester City and Leicester City senior teams. The Taye Academy product also has ten goals in 37 matches for the Super Eagles.