Alex Iwobi matches Mohamed Salah’s Premier League appearance record

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

Iwobi reached 328 top-flight appearances in England after starting Fulham’s 1-0 win against Coventry City on Saturday.

The 30-year-old is now joint-second on the list with Egypt forward Salah and is 25 appearances behind the African record held by former Ivory Coast international Kolo Toure.

Toure made 353 Premier League appearances during spells with Arsenal and Manchester City. Iwobi can equal that total if he features in 25 more matches as the season progresses.

NFF Acting General Secretary Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, MON, praised Iwobi’s consistency and his contribution to Nigerian football following the latest landmark in his career.

“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,” Ikpeme said.

Iwobi has played for Arsenal, Everton and Fulham in the Premier League, establishing himself as one of Nigeria’s most experienced players at club and international level.

He made his 100th appearance for Nigeria during a friendly against Portugal in Leiria earlier this year. The midfielder has also been involved in the Super Eagles’ recent Africa Cup of Nations campaigns, collecting one silver medal and two bronze medals.

Against Coventry, Iwobi played for 73 minutes, making 60 touches and completing 51 passes. His passing accuracy was 86.3 per cent as Fulham secured victory.

The appearance moved him level with Salah and extended a career that began in the Premier League with Arsenal. He later joined Everton before moving to Fulham, where he continues to add to his total.

The NFF said it was confident Iwobi could eventually surpass Toure’s mark and set a new African record for Premier League appearances.

Iwobi’s next target is to move clear of Salah in second place, while continuing his pursuit of Toure’s overall record.