Iwobi joins Salah in African Premier League appearance rankings

Nigeria midfielder Alexander Iwobi has moved level with Mohamed Salah as the joint-second most-capped African player in Premier League history after making his 328th appearance in the competition.

Iwobi reached the mark during Fulham’s 1-0 win against Coventry City on Saturday, further establishing himself among Africa’s most experienced players in English top-flight football.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) congratulated the 30-year-old on the achievement, while its Acting General Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, MON, said he hoped Iwobi would soon claim the record outright.

“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’s total is now level with that of Egypt forward Salah. He is 25 appearances behind former Ivory Coast international Kolo Toure, who holds the African record with 353 Premier League games.

Toure reached that total while representing several English clubs during his career and remains the competition’s most-capped African player.

Iwobi played for 73 minutes in Fulham’s victory over Coventry City and produced an efficient display in midfield. He made 60 touches, completed 51 passes and recorded a passing accuracy of 86.3 per cent.

The landmark follows another significant achievement for the Nigeria international, who won his 100th cap for the Super Eagles in a friendly against Portugal this summer. That match was played at the Estadio Dr. Magalhaes Pessoa in Leiria.

Iwobi has also collected three Africa Cup of Nations medals with Nigeria one silver and two bronze and is closing in on becoming the most experienced African player in Premier League history.