France World Cup winner praises Alex Iwobi’s standout performance against Liverpool

By Monsurah Olatunji

Former France international and 1998 World Cup winner Frank Leboeuf has hailed Alex Iwobi’s performance in Fulham’s 3-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday, calling the Nigerian midfielder “a fantastic player” following a decisive display at Craven Cottage.

Iwobi played a pivotal role in the upset, scoring one goal and providing an assist during a five-minute spell that turned the game on its head.

After Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister opened the scoring in the 14th minute, Fulham responded with three goals in quick succession—Ryan Sessegnon in the 23rd, Iwobi in the 32nd, and Rodrigo Muniz in the 37th—to hand the Premier League leaders a rare defeat.

The victory denied Liverpool a chance to edge closer to completing an unbeaten away campaign—an achievement matched by only a handful of English top-flight teams in history.

Iwobi’s goal against Liverpool marked his eighth of the season, taking his overall Premier League tally to 30 goals and 34 assists.

He now becomes the first Nigerian player to record 30 goals and 30 assists in the competition’s history. Despite the milestone, he remains behind Aiyegbeni Yakubu’s record of 121 combined Premier League goal contributions—95 goals and 26 assists.

Iwobi, the nephew of Nigerian football legend Jay-Jay Okocha, has long played under the weight of family expectations.

While comparisons to his uncle persist, Iwobi has carved his own path with a reputation for tactical intelligence, work ethic, and versatility—particularly during his time at Everton, where he overcame early criticism to become a fan favorite.

Speaking on ESPN, Leboeuf applauded Iwobi’s growing influence.

“Iwobi… Iwobi is a fantastic player. I love that guy,” said the former Chelsea defender.

Leboeuf also criticized Liverpool’s tactical setup under head coach Arne Slot, suggesting complacency and questionable decisions contributed to the loss.

“If I’m Quansah, what do I think? You have to put [Curtis] Jones at right-back? When you take Konaté out, you put someone else in midfield and keep Quansah on the bench? There’s something wrong with the coach as well,” he said.

The result adds further intrigue to the title race as Liverpool’s grip on the top of the table loosens heading into the final weeks of the season.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.

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