Fulham star, Alex Iwobi has brushed aside talk of individual honours at the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, insisting his only concern is helping Nigeria move closer to a fourth continental title.
The Super Eagles midfielder has been a steady presence in Nigeria’s midfield, dictating tempo and linking play as the team eased into the round of 16 at the tournament.
Alex Iwobi’s quality was on full display in Nigeria’s opening group match against Tanzania, where he supplied two assists in the 2-1 win.
He created the opener for Semi Ajayi before setting up Ademola Lookman for the winning goal. That showing made him only the second Nigerian player since 2010 to record two assists in a single AFCON match.
Iwobi, 29, followed it up with another composed performance in the 3-2 victory over Tunisia, completing 51 accurate passes from 59 attempts and playing a crucial role in the move that led to Nigeria’s third goal.
Despite his influence, the Fulham midfielder has yet to win a Player of the Match award, but he made it clear that such recognition is not important to him.
“Man of the Match doesn’t matter,” Iwobi said.
“I think Mola deserves it, two assists and one goal. It doesn’t matter who performs as long as the team performs.”
Iwobi also looked back on Nigeria’s last meeting with Tunisia at the 2021 AFCON in Cameroon, when he was sent off shortly after coming on as a substitute in a defeat that ended the Super Eagles’ campaign. This time, he said, there were no lingering feelings from that experience.
“It’s special. I forgot what happened in 2022, but the main thing is that we won,” he said. “It was an amazing team performance, and a credit to Tunisia, they were good opponents.”
With 93 international caps, Alex Iwobi is the most experienced player in the Super Eagles squad in Morocco and is appearing at his third AFCON.
Nigeria are chasing a fourth title, having previously won the tournament in 1980, 1994 and 2013.
