Connect with us

English Premier League

“Nigerian Ronaldinho” — Alex Iwobi earns new nickname after Liverpool upset

Published

on

“Nigerian Ronaldinho” — Alex Iwobi earns new nickname after Liverpool upset
By Monsurah Olatunji

After etching his name into the Premier League record books, becoming the first Nigerian to reach the coveted milestone of 30+ goals and 30+ assists, Alex Iwobi has been compared to legendary Brazilian Ronaldinho.
Iwobi had an impressive performance in Fulham’s win against Liverpool, which had his teammate Pereira expressed his admiration for the Nigerian, who has been in excellent form.
The Brazilian forward couldn’t help but to compare the Super Eagles star to his country’s legend, Ronaldinho.
Renowned for his dazzling flair, Ronaldinho played alongside Iwobi’s uncle, Jay-Jay Okocha when he joined Paris Saint Germain in 2001. The Brazilian met the Nigerian star who was one of their best players at the time.
In fact, till today many still believe the Brazilian was taught by Okocha after later becoming a superstar with his flair similar to that of the Nigerian.
After the game, Iwobi celebrated with a number of Instagram posts captioned “I belong to Jesus” with several Fulham players and fans reacting.
Teammate for club and country, Calvin Bassey commented “Hop out the motot’ in reference to Iwobi’s recently released record, while Pereira wrote Ronaldinho from Nigeria 🇳🇬 ❤️🔥
He may not quite be at the level of Ronaldinho, the player he’s been compared to, but we were once reminded why Alex Iwobi’s was one of the best dribblers his generation had ever seen.
The 28-year-old midfielder who is the nephew of Okocha has certainly become one of the best players in the Premier League and another huge win for Nigeria.
author avatar
Samuel Ahmadu
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.
Continue Reading