With 329 Premier League matches, Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi becomes the second most-capped African in the English top flight, ahead of Mohamed Salah. The Nigerian has set his sights on overtaking Kolo Touré and his 352 appearances.
Alex Iwobi played his 329th Premier League match on Saturday, in Fulham’s 1-1 draw at Aston Villa at Villa Park. A game like any other for the 30-year-old midfielder, except that it now puts him second among the most-capped African players in the history of the English top flight, ahead of Mohamed Salah, according to InsightLinks.
The Nigerian’s tally spans three shirts: 100 appearances for Arsenal, 123 for Everton and 106 in the Fulham shirt. Ahead of him, just one name on the African list: Ivory Coast’s Kolo Touré and his 352 matches. The gap is no chasm: 23 games would be enough to equal the mark, 24 to surpass it.
A target stated outright
In comments reported by InsightLinks, the Nigeria international makes no secret of his intention. “But I’m trying to break the record, I think Kolo Touré is right at the top, so I keep my eyes on the future and we’ll see if I can beat it,” he said.
The wording states the ambition without promising a timeframe. Surpassing Touré’s 352 appearances means staying available over the long haul, avoiding injuries, and keeping his place in the Fulham squad, and therefore in the Premier League. All conditions the player does not fully control, and which the article does not allow us to take for granted.
Three clubs, one long journey
Iwobi’s path in England has been built in stages. Arsenal first, with 100 matches in the top flight, then Everton, where he racked up 123, before Fulham, where he currently counts 106. Three shirts, three environments, one same consistency that explains his place on the African podium.
Kolo Touré embodies another era of the English top flight. The former Ivory Coast international wore the colours of Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, and his total of 352 appearances still tops the African ranking. That is the benchmark the Fulham midfielder now has in his sights.
A nomination to go with the run
Iwobi’s consistency has not gone unnoticed across the Channel. SuperSport reports that he has been nominated for the SuperSport African Premier League Player of the Month award for October. A nomination, which says nothing about the result.
The tally, meanwhile, advances by one match with every game played: 329 appearances to date, against 352 for Touré.