The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has hailed Super Eagles midfielder Alex Iwobi after he reached the milestone of 100 appearances for Nigeria’s senior national team.
Iwobi achieved the feat during Nigeria’s 2-1 international friendly defeat to Portugal at the Estádio Dr Magalhães Pessoa in Leiria on Wednesday, becoming only the fourth player in the country’s history to earn 100 caps for the Super Eagles.
Reacting to the achievement on social media, CAF described the Fulham midfielder as “iconic” after the Super Eagles celebrated the landmark on their official platforms.
The 30-year-old midfielder now joins an elite list of Nigerian football greats, drawing level with former captain Joseph Yobo on 100 appearances. Only former goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama and current captain Ahmed Musa have made more appearances for the three-time African champions.
Despite the historic milestone, it was a disappointing outing for Nigeria as Portugal secured a 2-1 victory in their final warm-up game ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Pedro Neto opened the scoring for the hosts in the 23rd minute before Akor Adams restored parity for the Super Eagles. However, Francisco Conceição netted the winning goal to hand Portugal victory.
The defeat also marked the first regulation-time loss for Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle since taking charge, ending a 25-match unbeaten run that included 16 wins and nine draws.
Speaking on the milestone through the Nigeria Football Federation, Iwobi expressed pride in representing Nigeria and reaffirmed that he had no regrets choosing the Super Eagles despite missing out on some major honours.
“I am proud to be where I am today; proud to wear the green-and-white. I have no regrets choosing Nigeria,” Iwobi said.
The former Arsenal midfielder admitted he would have loved to win the Africa Cup of Nations and feature at the FIFA World Cup but remained grateful for his journey with the national team.
“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.
Iwobi, who represented England at youth level before committing his international future to Nigeria, revealed that family members, including Nigerian football legend Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha, were consulted before he made his final decision.
Since making his senior debut in 2015, Iwobi has become one of the most dependable figures in the Super Eagles squad. He has represented Nigeria at several Africa Cup of Nations tournaments and played a pivotal role in the team’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, Iwobi remains on course to further cement his legacy as one of the country’s most enduring football icons.
