Alex Iwobi reached another historic milestone on Wednesday night as he earned his 100th appearance for the Nigeria national football team during the international friendly against Portugal national football team in Leiria.
Before kick-off, the midfielder was honoured with a commemorative plaque boldly inscribed with “100” to celebrate his century of appearances for Nigeria.
The presentation was conducted in front of both teams, with Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo and his teammates joining in the applause.
The largely Portuguese crowd inside the stadium also gave Iwobi a rousing ovation in recognition of his remarkable achievement.
Iwobi’s journey with Nigeria began in 2015 when, at just 19 years old, he chose to represent the Super Eagles despite having featured for England at U16, U17 and U18 levels.
Eleven years later, the Fulham midfielder has cemented his place among Nigeria’s football greats, becoming the fourth-most capped player in the country’s history with 100 appearances.
The 30-year-old is now only two caps away from surpassing former captains Vincent Enyeama and Joseph Yobo, who both finished with 101 appearances, to move into second place on Nigeria’s all-time appearances list.
Iwobi is also 11 caps shy of equalling the national record currently held by Ahmed Musa with 110 appearances.
Since making his debut, Iwobi has played at the FIFA World Cup, won three Africa Cup of Nations medals bronze, silver and bronze and scored 10 goals for Nigeria, further underlining his importance to the national team over the last decade.
