Super Eagles captain, Wilfred Ndidi, has lost his father, Sunday Ndidi, who died on Tuesday following a road accident.

The deceased, a retired military officer, was reportedly involved in the accident in Umunede, Delta State, and was confirmed dead after being rushed to a hospital in Agbor, also in Delta State.

Ndidi’s club side, Besiktas, confirmed the tragic incident in a statement released on Tuesday via its official X (formerly Twitter) account.

“We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of our footballer Wilfred Ndidi’s esteemed father, Sunday Ndidi, in a fatal traffic accident,” the club said.

“May Allah grant mercy to the deceased; we extend our heartfelt condolences to our footballer Wilfred Ndidi, his family, and loved ones.”

Ndidi recently captained Nigeria to a third-place finish at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where he also scored his first international goal for the national team.

While celebrating his headed goal against Tunisia in Nigeria’s second group match, the midfielder made a gesture inspired by his father and his admiration for former Super Eagles captain, Kanu Nwankwo.

“The celebration came from my dad because he was always talking about Kanu Nwankwo,” Ndidi told journalists in Morocco.

“So I just thought about my dad. I had seen the video before, but it came to my head, and I said I was going to do it for my dad.”

Ndidi, who has often spoken about growing up with his father in the military barracks, was born and raised in Lagos.