Super Eagles and Fulham star Alex Iwobi recently joined Shola Ameobi as the Nigerian with the most EPL appearances. He talks about that achievement and more in this interview with SuperSport
You’re close to being the only record holder for the most appearances in the Premier League by a Nigerian. How does it feel, and what’s the key to this consistency?
It’s amazing, honestly, to almost be the single most capped Nigerian in the EPL. I don’t really think about it, because I just normally go and play games. But afterwards, when I chat with my family, it’s like, ‘Oh wow, I’ve played a lot of games.’ Yeah, it’s an honour to be one of the most capped Nigerian players in the Premier League. Shola Ameobi is a big legend, and you said I’ve done it in fewer years, so hopefully I’ve got many more years ahead to set the record with greater numbers.
Do you think you can still go to the World Cup?
Of course, we believe that we’re going to go to the World Cup; otherwise, we wouldn’t be here. We’re going to try and do our best, so hopefully the fans can continue to believe in us as well.
What does it mean for you to have two other Super Eagles players, Calvin Bassey and Samuel Chukwueze, in the Fulham team, playing together at the same club, and also off the pitch?
Yeah, it’s nice to have Samuel join us, not just because he’s Nigerian, but because he’s a great player and a great person, both on and off the pitch. We’re technically Naija FC now. The closest we have had before was Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi at Leicester City or probably at Nottingham Forest when we had Ola Aina, Taiwo Awoniyi and Emmanuel Dennis, but now it’s us. Are we carrying Nigeria in the Premier League? I wouldn’t say so. It’s just nice to have another brother added to our team.
What would it mean if you all went to AFCON together, all in the Nigerian team?
You’d want to win, obviously. You’d want to improve on the last one, and the only way to improve is to win it. So let’s see what we can do this year.
As a young Nigerian, which Premier League moment from an African player inspired you to become a footballer?
A key moment for me. Obviously, I’m blessed to have an uncle who played in the Premier League, Austin ‘Jay-Jay’ Okocha. I was with him some time ago, and he reminded me of a match when he was playing under Sam Allardyce at Bolton. Obviously, that was a fun time. They had to play against West Ham to stay in the league, and he ran from one end of the pitch to the other and smashed it into the top corner. Watching that was probably one of my biggest moments. I thought, ‘One day I want to be like my uncle – or even better.’ So I’d say that moment inspired me.
