THE Confederation of African Football (CAF) has described Alex Iwobi as “iconic” after the Fulham midfielder became only the fourth player in history to make 100 appearances for the Super Eagles during Nigeria’s 2-1 international friendly defeat to Portugal on Wednesday.
News Point Nigeria Sport reports that Iwobi reached the landmark at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria, where Nigeria faced Portugal in their final warm-up game ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
Reacting to a social media post by the Super Eagles celebrating the achievement, CAF paid tribute to the midfielder with a brief but powerful message: “Iwobi? Iconic.”
The milestone places the 30-year-old in an exclusive group of Nigerian football legends. He now draws level with former Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo in third place on Nigeria’s all-time appearance list.
Only Vincent Enyeama and current captain Ahmed Musa have accumulated more caps for the senior national team.
While the evening brought personal glory for Iwobi, it proved a challenging outing for the Super Eagles.
Portugal took the lead in the 23rd minute through Pedro Neto before Akor Adams restored parity for Nigeria. However, Francisco Conceição struck the decisive goal to hand Roberto Martínez’s side a narrow victory.
The defeat was also significant for Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle, marking his first loss in regulation time since taking charge of the national team and bringing an end to a remarkable 25-match unbeaten streak that produced 16 wins and nine draws.
Despite the result, Iwobi delivered another composed display in midfield, with his historic achievement attracting widespread recognition both at home and across the continent.
Speaking through the Nigeria Football Federation, the midfielder expressed pride in reaching the milestone and reaffirmed his commitment to Nigeria despite missing out on some of the game’s biggest honours.
“I am proud to be where I am today; proud to wear the green-and-white. I have no regrets choosing Nigeria,” he said.
Iwobi, who represented England at youth level before committing his international future to Nigeria, admitted he would have loved to add major trophies to his career.
“Yes, I would have loved to win the AFCON and perhaps be with the Eagles at the FIFA World Cup that is about to kick off in a few days’ time, but no regrets,” he added.
The former Arsenal midfielder revealed that members of his family, including his uncle and Nigerian football legend Austin Okocha, were consulted before he made the decision to represent Nigeria. However, he stressed that the final choice was entirely his own.
Since making his senior debut in 2015, Iwobi has remained one of the most consistent figures in the Super Eagles setup. He has featured in multiple Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and played a key role in Nigeria’s journey to the final of the 2023 AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire.
With only Ahmed Musa and Vincent Enyeama ahead of him on Nigeria’s all-time appearance chart, the Fulham midfielder appears well-positioned to climb even higher in the record books as his international career continues.