Alex Iwobi, with his excellent play for the Super Eagles at the Africa Cup of Nations, and relatable vlog on YouTube and TikTok, has become the toast of Nigerian football.
But it wasn’t long ago, less than a year actually, that Iwobi was deleting over a hundred Instagram posts and retreating from social media in the wake of a torrent of abuse following Nigeria’s loss in the final of the 2023 AFCON to Ivory Coast.
Today, he’s conductor in chief of the Super Eagles’ midfield, orchestrating their dominant march to the semifinals as the tournament’s most creative force, and become the lightening rod of the feel-good factor towards the team despite not scoring a goal. Yet.
Iwobi’s arc has been swift and emphatic but the redemption is less for the player and more for the fans who failed to recognise what a gem he is, and has been for the Nigeria team, in over 10 years of service and counting.
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The Fulham midfielder has been the engine driving Nigeria’s AFCON campaign, dominating from his role in coach Eric Chelle’s midfield diamond.
Beyond the eye candy that his play offers, the numbers are just as eloquent: 46 defense-splitting passes completed at the tournament, more than double any other player in the competition.
In the quarterfinal deconstruction of Mozambique, he supplied 22 line-breaking passes. Against Algeria, he added 14 more as Nigeria discombobulated the North Africans and advanced 2-0. He also provided the assists for Nigeria’s first two goals of the competition in the 2-1 win over Tanzania.
There was no greater praise than that from former Nigeria captain and midfield general John Mikel Obi: “Alex Iwobi in this tournament has been absolutely fantastic.
“I have been waiting for this from Alex for a long time. Finally, we can see the Alex Iwobi that we all know, everything going through him, those passes.”
Alex Iwobi has been sublime for Nigeria in the midfield at this AFCON, providing critical passes on their march to the final four. Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images
This villain to hero act is not an unfamiliar pattern in Nigerian football, the cycle of vitriol followed by belated adulation. Iwobi’s uncle, Austin Jay-Jay Okocha, endured years of criticism as a selfish ball hog before his genius was finally recognized.
Goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama spent years of his career playing under pressure game after game, being pilloried for being too short and unable to handle crosses, only to be mourned as irreplaceable after his premature retirement.
Nigerian fans, it seems, reserve their plaudits for a player’s latter days. At 29, and playing his fourth AFCON, Iwobi is finally getting the respect he deserves.
What a difference time, and perhaps winning football matches, makes. It is doubtful if this acknowledgement of Iwobi’s production would have happened without the team chalking up wins, and the dominant manner of those triumphs.
Two years ago it was almost unfathomable. Iwobi was attacked relentlessly on social media and ended up being forced to step away from it all.
“I have taken myself out of social media after yesterday’s game,” Iwobi said the day after that final, acknowledging the cyberbullying that drove him offline for months.
John Owan Enoh, Nigeria’s Sports Minister at the time, felt compelled to intervene, meeting with Iwobi after the final.
“I am aware of what is happening on social media, and as a ministry, this isn’t the first time we will make a statement against bullying, not just you but our sportsmen and women in general who are exposed to bullying due to the outcome of competitions,” Enoh told him.
“You did your best for your country, and I am proud of you. The leadership and the rest of the country are proud of you. Those who are not are in the far minority and do not speak for the rest of our country, so just be strong.”
Okocha, too, leapt to his nephew’s defense with a pointed message to critics on social media.
“I pray for my country, Nigeria and the people that can only hate and see nothing good in others; when effort counts for nothing, treat people the way you want them to treat you; all we have is this life is each other,” he wrote.
“We love you, Alexander Iwobi, and we keep going no matter what they say.”
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Iwobi: World Cup qualification failure motivation for AFCON
Alex Iwobi speaks ahead of Nigeria’s AFCON semifinal against Morocco.
Now, as he prepares to earn his 96th cap on Wednesday night in the semifinal, Iwobi has found peace, and perhaps vindication, in his approach of keeping his head amidst a storm of vilification.
“I don’t really look online to see what’s happening,” he said. “I let my team do that, but I have been getting comments from them saying I have been doing really well.
“I can’t pinpoint what it is, I just give the same application. It’s nice that I am getting recognition for how I am doing, but I just focus on the team trying to win.”
Coach Eric Chelle, who took over the Super Eagles in the midst of their World Cup turmoil and steadied the ship before guiding them to this record-breaking AFCON run, described himself as a fan of the team since the 1998 World Cup.
He gave credit for Iwobi’s and the team’s performances, praising the player’s football IQ and saying he only created an environment where Iwobi’s intelligence can flourish.
“Alex is a player with a very high IQ,” Chelle said. “Some players just want to play football, they want to take some pleasure on the pitch and just play with other players who feel the football.
“Alex is a player like that. You can’t tell him run one hour or two hours, he will do everything. But he is very happy when he plays with other footballers.
“I have this chance to have a group like that, everybody wants to enjoy playing football. For me, it makes it easier because I just try to put them in the best situation.”
Alex Iwobi is not only a Nigeria favourite, but a Premier League one too while with club Fulham. Alex Livesey/Getty Images
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Part of that happiness for Iwobi, is his YouTube channel, a legacy of former captain William Troost-Ekong who was first to start it. The channel has become a hit and go-to for most Nigerian fans after games, showing the players in a different, fun and relatable light.
Like Samuel Chukwueze, taking friendly jibes at his club Fulham, moaning about players spending too much time at post-game interviews while he is hungry, Calvin Bassey being emotional and thankful for playing at AFCON when he was not sure of a club a few years ago.
Also, Chidera Ejuke mucking about trying to affect an English accent or even Chelle himself being clowned by Chukwueze. The channel has been a godsend for a rarely-seen, raw and organic view of the Nigeria team.
Iwobi said it is his release from the tension of the game and a way to show the players were also regular people: “With my YouTube, I use it as a platform to control my own narrative, to show people that of course everyone wants to see the football side but at the same time, we are all humans.
“We like to enjoy, but when we are on the pitch, we are going to war, we are ready to fight for each other. It is not a distraction and the coach has given me permission to do it.”
Chelle gave more than permission. He has embraced the project as a team-building tool.
“Every day is the same and we have to find ways to keep our motivation and to stay focused at hundred percent, sometimes you have to think during one hour about other things than football,” the coach said.
“After the game, you are happy for five minutes because you have to think after about the next game. You can take two or three minutes per day to watch his channel and laugh with everybody but it is very good for the group.
“I am very happy with what he is doing and what he will and I am so proud of him.”
Nigerians are finally beginning to appreciate that value, which has been on full display this AFCON, and it is down to the player having the mental fortitude to take whatever is thrown at him while keeping his focus on what is important.
