Bursaspor Fans Celebrate Iheanacho’s Goals And Honour His Late Mother

Bursaspor fans have paid an emotional tribute to Super Eagles striker Kelechi Iheanacho, reminding him of his late mother’s legacy as he continues his remarkable scoring run for the Turkish second-tier club.

The supporters displayed a banner bearing the message, ‘Look at the sky with pride, Kelechi. Your mother’s legacy lives in your goals,’ in honour of Mercy Iheanacho, who died in February 2013 when the Nigerian forward was 16.

In a video shared on social media, the 30-year-old was seen jumping over the digital barriers at Bursaspor’s home ground to celebrate with the fans holding the banner. He subsequently posed for photographs with the supporters, visibly touched by their heartfelt gesture.

Iheanacho, who joined Bursaspor as a free agent last summer, has enjoyed an outstanding run of form, scoring in 10 consecutive league matches and netting 14 goals in total.

The former Leicester City striker made Turkish football history last week when he scored twice in Bursaspor’s 3-0 victory over Muglaspor. The brace extended his scoring streak to 10 successive league games, making him the first player in the history of professional football in Turkey to achieve the feat.

Beyond his goalscoring exploits, the fans’ tribute offered a deeply personal reminder of the family loss Iheanacho suffered early in his career.

Bursaspor coach Mustafa Er described the Nigerian’s achievement as an exceptionally difficult record to break and expressed hope that the striker would continue his scoring streak.

‘It’s a very difficult record to break. Our wish is for him to extend this streak even further,’ Er said.

‘He is extremely happy, has great friendships, and is working incredibly hard.’

However, Er cautioned against crediting Iheanacho alone for Bursaspor’s success, stressing the importance of the team’s collective contribution to the striker’s impressive run.

‘To judge it solely through Iheanacho would be unfair to both the team and the club. The contributions of his teammates cannot be ignored,’ he said.