Profile: Manchester derby match winner, Kelechi Iheanacho

You are either a Blue or Red. A Citizen or a Red Devil. You either support Pep Guardiola or Jose Mourinho.

Derby day in Manchester is like nothing you’ll see anywhere else across the land. The bragging rights. The tradition. The history. For the 22 men walking out of The Theatre of Dreams, they know that one goal could make them a legend for their respective sides forever.

But this year, there was a bit of a panic around the Blue side of Manchester. No Sergio Aguero, no party?

The answer is no. His replacement, Kelechi Iheanacho, the decisive factor in the derby of all derbies. SHOOT takes a look at the Nigerian and how his historic goal could change his career at Man City forever and ever.

Iheanacho (Right) netted his first league goal of the season in Saturday’s Manchester derby victory – Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.

Where did it all start for Iheanacho?

Iheanacho was born in Imo, a small state in Southern Nigeria. He didn’t have the most ideal of upbringings. The son of a teacher, Iheanacho describes himself and his family as poor as a child, in an area that is a complete contrast to the home and lifestyle the Nigerian international can now afford.

He did have one passion, however – football. But wasn’t a great fan of the Premier League growing up in the less favourable country of Nigeria. It’s not because he didn’t enjoy the quality of the world’s greatest league. It’s because he couldn’t afford to watch it.

Instead, his family spent their money on the basics of life; after all bread and water is more important than watching football. With the Premier League priced at 50 naira (around 20p), the Iheanacho’s couldn’t enjoy watching the quality of England’s big guns, he would instead play the beautiful game and await to hear the scores from his friends.

But with the Spanish league priced at 30 naira, he did occasionally watch the quality of La Liga. It was here where he developed an interest in FC Barcelona, where his favourite player in Catalonia was Yaya Toure – a future teammate.

Despite rarely having the chance to watch the game on television, he certainly didn’t lack the quality to play the beautiful game. As a youth, he represented the Taye Academy in Owerri – the capital of Imo. It wasn’t quite the Etihad Stadium, but it was a chance to play the great game.

But then came the tournament that changed his life. The 2013 Under-17 World Cup came at a difficult time for the young Nigerian. His mother had just passed away months before. But instead of mourning her death, he used it as motivation. A golden boot in the UAE attracted interest from across the globe. It was the start of a new journey.

Photo: Paul Roberts / Offside.

What happened next?

After a tournament that would rival any other, Iheanacho attracted interest right throughout the world. Despite interest from Arsenal and Sporting Lisbon, the decision of where to move to came down to Manchester City or FC Porto.

Iheanacho wanted to make the move to Northern Portugal; after all it has a bit more of an advertising climate than the North West of England. His father had other ideas.

“Manchester City,” he exclaimed. After persistence, his son gave in; it was time to swap the River Niger for the River Medlock as Manchester City beckoned.

Iheanacho made the move to City in January of 2014. After featuring in City’s pre-season tour of the USA, he made the trip back over to the United States; at which he trained with Columbus Crew until the middle of October of 2014.

However, he was still not able to play in England due to work-permit issues. That was until February 2015. But to conquer the hill, there a few windy paths you must go up first. One of them windy paths came in his Under-19 debut.

The UEFA Youth League and Schalke are the opposition. The Nigerian started; at last he would wear the Sky Blue of Man City. But he only wore it for 11 minutes. Injury meant that he was unable to continue.

After his recovery, he featured on several occasions for the club’s Under-18 and Under-21 sides. He even featured in the FA Youth Cup Final as he played 71 minutes in the second-leg of the Sky Blues’ FA Youth Cup final defeat to Chelsea.

But first-team manager Manuel Pellegrini had seen enough of his quality to know he was a bright prospect in City’s academy. His next stop; the first-team dressing room of the Etihad Campus.

Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.

How did he get to this point?

After an impressive pre-season with boss Pellegrini, including an assist in the International Champions Cup, inevitably Iheanacho’s role in the first-team was made permanent. After being named on the bench for a trip to the Hawthorns on the opening day of the season, he eventually made his Premier League debut some three weeks later.

It was a Bank Holiday weekend to remember as he came off the bench to feature in a 2-0 victory over Watford at the Etihad Stadium. No matter what happened in the future, the dream of playing Premier League football had finally came true.

His next appearance in the Sky Blue strip would come in jubilant circumstances. September 12, 2015; a day that Iheanacho will never forget. It was a trip to South London to take on Crystal Palace. It wasn’t going to plan. As Mike Jones signalled the allocated amount of stoppage time, Iheanacho’s dream year reached its climax. One shot. One goal. Three crucial points.

Despite two goals in the League Cup, he did not bag a goal in England’s top-flight again until December 12, his first at the Etihad in the Premier League.

But it was at this stage where City’s title bid wavered off. Frustrating defeats against Leicester City and Liverpool meant that the citizens dreams of winning England’s top-flight for the third time in four years eradicated following the announcement of Pep Guardiola’s appointment that summer.

It was in the end a race between the two rivals for Champions League football. A goal on the final day of the season by Iheanacho all-but mathematically secured a place within Europe’s elite for the 2016-17 season; it was officially confirmed the following Tuesday when Manchester United played their re-arranged fixture against AFC Bournemouth.

Photo: Marc Atkins / Offside.

What about his international career?

Ever since Under-13 level, Iheanacho has performed consistently for his national side. If it wasn’t for his performance at the Under 17 World Cup, where he scored six goals to guide Nigeria to triumph in the United Arab Emirates, maybe the name of “Kelechi Iheanacho” may be less known to a world audience, as it was his display here which attracted the interest of some of the world’s greatest teams-  including Man City.

After making the move to the Etihad, Iheanacho has been attracting the eye of the Nigerian team consistently. He made his debut in 2015; making his first start in March of this year. Since he has been a shoe-in the Super Eagles side, and scored three goals; his most recent coming on September 3 against Tanzania.