Super Eagles midfielder, Alex Iwobi, has etched his name into Premier League history after reaching 100 appearances for a third different club.
The Fulham midfielder achieved the milestone on Saturday when he started in his side’s 3-2 defeat to Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage.
Iwobi had previously registered 100 Premier League appearances for Arsenal and 123 for Everton. His latest appearance took his total number of Premier League games to 322.
The Nigerian is now only the fifth player in Premier League history to record at least 100 appearances for three different clubs.
He joins Gareth Barry, James Milner, Gary Speed and Rory Delap in the exclusive group.
Iwobi’s landmark came on a difficult afternoon for Fulham, who surrendered their lead before Palace completed a comeback.
Joshua King put Fulham ahead in the 11th minute after collecting the ball inside the penalty area and seeing his effort take a deflection on its way past Dean Henderson.
Palace thought they had levelled through Tyrick Mitchell earlier, but the goal was ruled out for offside following a VAR review.
Mitchell eventually got his name on the scoresheet in the 35th minute to make it 1-1.
Fulham regained the advantage shortly before half-time when Cesar Palacios reacted quickest to a rebound and fired home in the 42nd minute.
Mitchell then struck again nine minutes after the restart to restore parity, before Ben Chilwell completed Palace’s comeback in the 77th minute by pouncing on a loose ball inside the box and finding the bottom corner.
Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey also featured for Fulham.
The defeat means Fulham have endured a challenging opening to the campaign under new manager Alvaro Arbeloa.
The London club had previously lost 3-2 to Chelsea before suffering a 1-0 defeat against Sunderland.
Iwobi’s journey to the historic milestone began at Arsenal, where he entered the club’s Hale End academy as a child after moving to England from Lagos.
He progressed through the youth ranks before making his senior debut under Arsene Wenger in a League Cup fixture at the beginning of the 2015/16 season.
Just four days later, on October 31, 2015, he made his Premier League debut as a late substitute in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Swansea City.
The versatile midfielder spent four seasons with Arsenal’s first team, featuring predominantly as a winger and attacking midfielder alongside stars such as Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez.
He departed the Gunners with 100 Premier League appearances, 11 goals and 17 assists, while also helping the club win the FA Cup.
Everton signed Iwobi in August 2019 for a reported fee of around €34m.
His time at Goodison Park initially proved challenging as several managerial changes saw him deployed in different positions, including both wings, wing-back and central midfield.
He gradually developed into a more disciplined and hard-working midfielder, with the 2022/23 campaign standing out as one of his best seasons at the club.
Iwobi started all 38 Premier League matches that season as Everton successfully avoided relegation.
He eventually left Everton after making 123 Premier League appearances, scoring six goals and registering 11 assists.
Fulham completed the signing of Iwobi in September 2023 on a contract running until 2028, bringing him back together with Marco Silva, who had previously coached him at Everton.
The move has since proved significant in the midfielder’s career, with Iwobi establishing himself as an important member of Fulham’s midfield.
He also enjoyed his most productive campaign in front of goal last season, scoring more than 18 goals across all competitions.
His achievement is also notable for African football.
The continent has produced several Premier League greats, including Didier Drogba, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Yaya Toure and Nwankwo Kanu, as well as Iwobi’s uncle, Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha.
However, none of those players had previously reached 100 Premier League appearances for three separate clubs.
Iwobi has therefore become the latest African star to make a unique mark on the competition’s history.
