Alex Iwobi is setting his sights on winning the Premier League Player of the Month award, an honour famously claimed by his uncle, Jay-Jay Okocha, over two decades ago.
More than 22 years after Okocha’s triumph at Bolton Wanderers, Iwobi is now in contention for the same accolade following an impressive run of form with Fulham FC.
The Nigeria international is among seven nominees for the March award, alongside Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), James Garner (Everton FC), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), David Raya (Arsenal FC), and Danny Welbeck (Brighton & Hove Albion).
If successful, Iwobi would become the fifth Nigerian to win the award, joining Okocha, Peter Odemwingie, Odion Ighalo, and Kelechi Iheanacho.
Iwobi featured in all four of Fulham’s matches this month, playing a key role in victories over Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley FC.
He also found the net with a stunning effort against Tottenham, a strike now shortlisted for the Goal of the Month award. The former Arsenal man produced a composed instep finish from outside the box, showcasing his technical quality.
The Goal of the Month shortlist includes Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson, William Osula, Bernardo Silva, Iliman Ndiaye, and John McGinn.
Interestingly, former Fulham defender and Iwobi’s childhood friend, Ola Aina, remains the only Nigeria-eligible player to have won the Premier League Goal of the Month award, achieving the feat in November 2020 with a superb strike against West Bromwich Albion.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
