Alex Iwobi has moved into joint second place with Mohamed Salah for Premier League appearances by an African international after featuring in Fulham’s 1-0 win over Coventry City.

The Nigeria midfielder made his 328th appearance in the competition on Saturday, leaving him 26 matches short of the record attributed to former Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure.

Iwobi is already Nigeria’s most-capped player in Premier League history and has now matched Liverpool forward Salah, who occupies the same position in the African rankings. Toure remains the leading African player, with 353 appearances for Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool.

The milestone underlines Iwobi’s longevity in English football. He has played in the Premier League for more than a decade, representing Arsenal, Everton and Fulham.

From Arsenal debut to Fulham milestone

Iwobi made his Premier League debut for Arsenal on 31 October 2015, coming on as a substitute in a 3-0 victory over Swansea City.

He made his first start in March 2016 and scored as Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 at Goodison Park.

The midfielder joined Everton in 2019 before returning to London to sign for Fulham in September 2023. His latest appearance came shortly before the 11th anniversary of his Premier League debut.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) marked the achievement, with acting general secretary Emmanuel Ikpeme identifying Toure’s total as the next target for Iwobi.

Iwobi’s 328 appearances place him ahead of Jordan Ayew and Wilfried Zaha, who have each played 305 Premier League matches. Shola Ameobi ended his career with 298 appearances.

Iwobi leads Nigerian appearance chart

Ameobi previously held Nigeria’s record, having played for Newcastle United and Crystal Palace. Former Super Eagles captain Joseph Yobo made 228 appearances across spells with Everton and Norwich City, while John Mikel Obi featured in 249 matches.

Nwankwo Kanu played 273 Premier League games and Yakubu Aiyegbeni made 252 appearances.

Iwobi also holds Nigeria’s Premier League assists record, while Yakubu remains the country’s leading scorer in the competition. Yakubu scored 95 goals in 252 appearances for Portsmouth, Middlesbrough, Everton and Blackburn Rovers.

Yobo holds another notable Nigerian endurance mark after completing a 3,420-minute season. Former striker Efan Ekoku also recorded a significant Premier League achievement, securing his own place in the competition’s history.

Fulham extend winning run

Iwobi’s landmark appearance came as Fulham recorded their second successive Premier League victory.

Oscar Bobb scored the only goal against Coventry, following Fulham’s previous 1-0 win over Hull City. Iwobi had scored the decisive goal in that match.

Having drawn level with Salah, Iwobi now needs 26 more Premier League appearances to move clear at the top of the African rankings and claim the record for himself.