Super Eagles midfielder, Alex Iwobi has reached another landmark in England. The Fulham midfielder made his 328th Premier League appearance on Saturday and the Nigeria Football Federation was quick to celebrate it.
Iwobi hit the number in Fulham’s 1-0 win over Coventry City. He played 73 minutes, which was enough to draw him level with Egypt’s Mohamed Salah as the joint-second most-capped African in Premier League history.
However, the record itself still belongs to someone else. Ivory Coast’s Kolo Toure played 353 league games in England, and Iwobi is 25 short of that figure.
Meanwhile, his numbers against Coventry showed why he keeps getting picked.
He had 60 touches, completed 51 passes and finished with 86.3 per cent passing accuracy. In other words, he ran the middle of the pitch without drawing much attention to himself.
Following the game, the federation sent its congratulations. Acting General Secretary Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme said the NFF “celebrates Alex Iwobi for this new achievement” and wished him even greater glory.
Furthermore, Ikpeme made it clear what the NFF wants next. He said the federation hopes to see Iwobi become the African with the most Premier League appearances.
That is a bold wish, yet it isn’t far-fetched. Twenty-five games is less than a full league season for a regular starter.
Iwobi is 30 and he brought up his 100th cap for the Super Eagles in a friendly against Portugal in Leiria this summer. Besides that, he has three medals from the Africa Cup of Nations, one silver and two bronze.
Next up, Iwobi returns to Fulham duty, where he can keep chasing Toure’s mark week by week. Then comes the November international window.
