Iwobi becomes first Nigerian player to chalk up 300 English Premier League appearances

SUPER Eagles playmaker Alex Iwobi has become the first Nigerian player in the English Premier League to notch up 300 appearances and was celebrated for its yesterday when he featured for Fulham in a game against Newcastle United.

Iwobi, 29, who started off his Premier League career playing for Arsenal, later transferred to Everton before joining Fulham in September 2023. Eligible to represent England or his birth country Nigeria, Iwobi started as a youth international for England, with whom he earned 11 caps for England at underage level but went on to declare for Nigeria in 2015 and has since been a member of the Super Eagles squad.

Yesterday, at St James Park, Fulham lost 1-2 to Newcastle but despite the setback, the occasion was memorable for Iwobi, who set a new milestone. Iwobi is now the fifth African with the highest number of appearances in the English top flight.

Only Kolo Touré (353), Mohamed Salah (309), Wilfried Zaha (309), and Jordan Ayew (305) have played more games in the English Premier League than him. Iwobi said it was a big honour for him to achieve the milestone.

He added: “It’s amazing. It’s a big achievement to lead that, with the likes of Shola Ameobi and even my uncle Jay-Jay Okocha. It’s an honour but I’m not done yet. I’m going to keep on going and hopefully keep the record going.”