Alex Iwobi: Super Eagles star joins Kanu Nwankwo, three other African legends in elite Premier League class

Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi became the fifth African player to register at least 50 appearances for three English Premier League after he featured in Fulham’s dramatic 2-2 draw against Ipswich Town on Sunday, Soccernet.ng reports.

Fulham welcomed Premier League strugglers Ipswich Town to Craven Cottage for the Premier League fixture on Sunday. The Cottagers were favourites to claim the win, but the Tractor Boys put on a big show.

Nigerian star Iwobi maintained his place in the starting eleven, but he could not do much in the first half as Ipswich Town took a 1-0 lead into the break.

He was largely unimpressive, and was eventually taken off for Rodrigo Muniz in the 63rd minute. That was when the game descended into chaos.

Fulham equalized from the spot in the 69th minute, courtesy of a penalty from Raul Jimenez.

But that lead did not last, as Liam Delap scored for Ipswich just two minutes later to restore their lead. However, Jimenez scored again in stoppage time to ensure that the game ended 2-2.

Although Iwobi did not produce a big performance, it was a record-breaking game for him. According to Opta Joe, he became the fifth African player to register 50+ appearances for three different Premirr League clubs.

Iwobi has been a regular Premier League campaigner since he broke into the scene at Arsenal in the 2015/2016 season. He registered 100 appearances for the Gunners before leaving for Everton in 2019.

Iwobi spent four years with the Toffees, and he was an important member of the squad, making 123 appearances for them before his tra.sfer to Fulham last year. The 28-year-old midfielder has been a regular for Fulham since he joined the club, and his appearance against Ipswich Town took his Premier League appearances for the club to 50.

The four other African greats who have made 50+ Premier League appearances for three different teams are Nwankwo Kanu (Arsenal, Portsmouth, West Brom), El Hadji Diouf (Bolton, Blackburn, Liverpool), Yakubu Aiyegbeni (Everton, Middlesbrough, Portsmouth), and Mohamed Diamé (Wigan, West Ham, Newcastle).