Alex Iwobi joins Mohamed Salah in Premier League appearance milestone

The Nigeria Football Federation has congratulated Alex Iwobi after the Fulham midfielder moved level with Mohamed Salah as the joint-second most-capped African player in Premier League history.

Iwobi reached 328 Premier League appearances when he played in Fulham’s 1-0 victory over Coventry City on Saturday. The appearance moved him level with the Egyptian forward and left him 25 matches short of the record held by former Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure.

Toure made 353 Premier League appearances during his career, a total that remains the highest by an African player in the competition, which is widely regarded as the biggest and most glamorous football league in the world.

The 30-year-old Nigeria international was praised by the NFF’s Acting General Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme MON, following the latest achievement.

“The NFF celebrates Alex Iwobi for this new achievement and we wish him even greater glory. We will be very happy to see him become the African with the most appearances in the Premier League in the near future,” said Ikpeme.

Iwobi’s latest landmark comes after he marked his 100th cap for Nigeria during a friendly against Portugal this summer. That match was played at the Estadio Dr. Magalhaes Pessoa in Leiria.

The midfielder has won one silver medal and two bronze medals with Nigeria at the Africa Cup of Nations. His Premier League record includes appearances for Fulham, although the source article does not provide a complete breakdown of his matches by club.

Against Coventry City, Iwobi played for 73 minutes and recorded 60 touches of the ball. He completed 51 passes, with a passing accuracy of 86.3%.

His 328th Premier League appearance places him alongside Salah in second place among African players. Only Toure, with 353 matches, has made more appearances in the competition.