Iwobi sets another ‘Naija’ record in the Premier League with 217 starts

Alex Iwobi made his 24th straight start in Fulham’s 2-1 win at Newcastle United on Saturday to set another ‘record’ by a Nigerian in the history of the competition.

The start was Iwobi’s 217th in 277 appearances and it is the highest number of starts made by a Nigerian player in Premier League history.

Prior to Saturday’s game, Iwobi was tied on 216 with Yakubu Aiyegbeni (252 games) but the 28-year-old moved clear of the retired Super Eagles striker to stand alone as the record holder, as it were.

Iwobi also on the day extended a one of his three ‘Nigerian best records’ he holds in the competition.

He was on for 79 minutes in the game to take the number of minutes he has featured in the 277 Premier League games he has played to 18,833, the greatest number of minutes by a Nigerian in the history of the competition and 1,739 more minutes than second placed Wilfred Ndidi (17,094) who is out injured.

Iwobi was subbed on 79 minutes, and it was for the 119th time since he made his Premier League debut in October 2015.

The 28-year-old still remains the Nigerian with the most shots (338), the most assists (32) in the competition.