Alexander Chuka Iwobi is a Nigerian professional footballer born on 3rd May 1996. Iwobi plays as a forward for Premier League club Everton and for the Nigerian national team. He was also once an Arsenal player.
Alex Iwobi has been hailed for his prolific style as he can play in almost all positions in the attacking front. He also plays in the midfield position.
Let us now take note of some important facts about Alex Iwobi before exploring his broader biography.
10 facts about Alex Iwobi
- Alex Iwobi was born in Lagos and is from the Igbo region of Nigeria but lived most of his life in England.
- Iwobi is the nephew of Nigerian football legend, Jay-Jay Okocha, who influenced his decision to play for the Nigeria Super Eagles
- His current market value is £32 million ( about NGN14,941,496,255.99)
- The young Nigerian footballer had played for the England U-16 team and won the Victory Sheild competition in 2011.
- He played for Arsenal FC from a young age as part of the club’s academy and signed a contract with them in October 2015. However, he now plays for Everton FC, also in the English Premier League
- Alex total club appearances so far are 171 with eight goals in all competitions, six for Arsenal FC and two for Everton FC.
- Alex Iwobi is currently the most valuable Nigerian player with transfer earnings estimated at €73 million (NGN29,664,026,309.92)
- He was named the CAF Youth Player of the Year in 2016
- His father, Chuba Iwobi was also a former footballer who played in an amateur league
- Alex Iwobi represented Nigeria at the 2018 FIFA World Cup and featured in all three group stage matches in Russia
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Alex Iwobi Biography: early life
Iwobi was born on 3rd May 1996 in Lagos to Nigerian parents. While there is no information on his mother’s name, his father’s name is Chuba Iwobi. He also has a sister named Marie. When Iwobi turned two years old, his family moved to Turkey. The family later relocated to England two years later, by then he was already aged four.
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The family then settled in the new place and the would-be football star grew up in Newham, London.
From a young age, Iwobi had always shown interest in playing football. He once said that he was encouraged in his aspiration by his mother. She allegedly brought people to train with him and to help him get better at the sport.
It is also likely that Alex’s father had an impact on him at those early stages. His father was reportedly a former footballer in an amateur league.
While growing up, Iwobi had formed a tight bond with Tyrell Robinson. Robinson had played youth football with Arsenal, joining at the age of seven. He turned professional in January 2015 and was released by the club in February 2017.
How is Alex Iwobi related to Jay-Jay Okocha?
Alex Iwobi is the nephew to Nigerian revered footballer Augustine Azuka Okocha popularly called Jay-Jay Okocha. His mother is a sister to the former professional. Many had likened his style of play to that of his uncle.
Both of them play from the same position but Okocha is adjudged by many to be more creative and entertaining than Iwobi. While Iwobi wears the number 18 jersey, Okocha wore the number 10 jersey.
In an interview with the official Premier League website, Iwobi revealed that his uncle, Okocha influenced his decision to play for the Nigerian national team. He had faced the big decision to either play for Nigeria – his birth country – or England – where he grew up.
He mentioned that he had been moved when he saw the way people in Nigeria respected Okocha. His words:
“Even when we were just walking around with him and in the car, the acknowledgement he gets from everyone… I thought, ‘wow, maybe one day I would like to feel like that as well’.
“He influenced me without even talking to me about it.”
Alex Iwobi Biography: Club career
Arsenal FC, London
Iwobi joined Arsenal while still in primary school and came close to leaving the club at an early age. This happened when he was at the age of 14 and later at the age of 16.
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He was first involved in a first-team match as an unused substitute in a League Cup match against West Bromwich Albion on 25th September 2013. However, he only signed a long-term contract with Arsenal FC in October 2015.
Then on 27th October 2015, the Nigerian superstar made his first-team debut for the club in a Round of 16 League Cup match against Sheffield Wednesday. Arsenal lost the match 3–0.
Iwobi made his Premier League debut four days later, and this time the outcome was different for the Arsenal team. The North London club won the match 3–0 against Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium. However, Alex Iwobi had had little impact on the match’s outcome as he came into the match as a substitute, at the stoppage-time, for Mesut Özil.
The Nigerian midfielder then made his Champions League debut as an 85th-minute substitute in a 5–1 defeat against Bayern Munich.
Thereafter, Iwobi started in Arsenal’s first team for the 2015–16 FA Cup 3rd and 4th round home wins against Sunderland and Burnley respectively.
After getting a first Champions League start in a 3–1 away defeat to Barcelona, Iwobi went on to score two goals in his first two Premier League starts in wins against Everton and Watford, respectively.
In the following season, Iwobi got a jersey number change as he dropped the number 45 shirt in favour of number 17. The shirt had been left by the club’s then Chilean forward, Alexis Sánchez, who had picked the number 7 jersey after club legend, Tomáš Rosický left it.
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Iwobi went on to feature throughout Arsenal’s victorious FA Cup campaign of 2016–17. He earned a winners’ medal as he was part of the squad that beat Chelsea by 2 goals to 1 in the final of the competition.
Iwobi didn’t stop there as he became a prominent team member soon after. He further achieved success with Arsenal in the 2017 Community Shield, when Arsenal beat Chelsea on penalties.
When underfire Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger announced that he would be leaving the club in May 2018, Iwobi had been one of the players that openly still loved him. The footballer stated that Wenger was as an “inspiration“. He, however, added that it was sad but exciting.
In August 2018, Iwobi signed a new long-term contract with the club, which was to keep him there until 2023.
In July 2019, after the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, he said he was looking forward to returning to club football with Arsenal.
Everton FC, Everton
On 8 August 2019, Iwobi signed a surprise five-year contract with Everton on deadline day. According to BBC, Arsenal received an initial fee of £28 million, rising to £34 million with potential add-ons.
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At the time of writing, Alex Iwobi has played 18 Premier League matches and four EPL Cup matches for Everton scoring two goals in total. One goal for the Premiermisership and one goal for the EPL Cop championship.
