Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi has set his sights on becoming the African player with the most appearances in Premier League history after moving into outright second place on the all-time list.
The Nigeria international reached 329 Premier League appearances after featuring in Fulham’s 1-1 draw against Aston Villa at Villa Park on Saturday, October 31, moving ahead of former Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, with whom he had previously shared second place.
Iwobi’s appearances have come across three Premier League clubs. He made 100 appearances for Arsenal, featured 123 times for Everton and has played 106 league matches for Fulham.
Former Ivory Coast international Kolo Touré holds the African appearance record, with 353 Premier League matches to his name. Iwobi is now 24 appearances short of equalling that mark and 25 away from surpassing it.
Speaking to Fulham’s official television channel, FFC TV, Iwobi said he was focused on breaking the record rather than dwelling on his latest milestone.
“But I’m trying to break the record, I think Kolo Toure is up there, so I’ll keep my eyes going forward and see if I can break that,” he said.
The achievement reflects Iwobi’s longevity in English football, having made his Premier League debut for Arsenal in 2015 before going on to represent Everton and Fulham.
At 30, the Super Eagles midfielder has an opportunity to challenge Touré’s longstanding record if he continues to feature regularly for Fulham.
For now, Iwobi will look to maintain his place in the team while working towards a milestone that would make him the African player with the most appearances in the Premier League.
