I’m proud of him!

•Iwobi’s father reflects on son’s career

Alex Iwobi has been one of Nigeria’s standout performers at the AFCON 2025 tournament, and his father, Chuba Iwobi, has been around in Morocco to support him, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 29-year-old is the nephew of former Super Eagles captain Jay-Jay Okocha. The Fulham midfielder is one of the senior players for the three-time AFCON winners, racking up 93 appearances.

Only Joseph Yobo (101), Vincent Enyeama (101), and Ahmed Musa (111) have racked up more caps than the former Everton man.

Although he was born in Nigeria, Iwobi moved to England when he was eight months old and played for England at the youth level before opting to play for the Super Eagles in 2015.

Alex Iwobi was born into a football family. His uncle Jay-Jay Okocha rocked the football world with his incredible skills while his father played for several clubs in Nigeria before moving to England.

The Hale End Academy Graduate is the Nigerian with the most Premier League appearances (307), more than Shola Ameobi (298), Kanu Nwankwo (273), Yakubu Aiyegbeni (252), and John Obi Mikel (249).

Chuba admitted he always wanted a son who would play football professionally, but Alex’s feat is bigger than he ever imagined.

“I’ve been supporting Alex since he was young. Looking at him, I had hoped that if I had a son, he would love football, but in terms of how far he would go, I had no clue,” Iwobi snr told Molatsportsgist.

“These kinds of things, you can’t predict. I played football when I was younger. I played for a few teams in Nigeria, and I’m proud of his achievements so far, and I personally think there’s more to come from him.

Quizzed about the influence Okocha had on his nephew, Chuba revealed the former Super Eagles captain has always been an inspiration to Alex Iwobi.

“Uncle Jay-Jay has been sort of an inspiration to him, to the family, to Nigerians, and right from when Alex was at the Arsenal academy, we used to go to Bolton, where Jay-Jay was and then watch him.

“Alex has his own style of play, but is also influenced by the skills and the technical ability of his uncle, and Jay-Jay has always been there for him.

Although both played in similar positions across different generations, it’s impossible for people not to compare their performances on the pitch, considering the family ties.

Chuba maintained that while some form of comparison is healthy, the downsides have forced Alex to be mentally strong.

“You see, in the game of football, you always have to be mentally strong, and you have to take the rough edge with a smooth pact.

“There’s always going to be challenges. I mean, at a certain point in time, he didn’t play to his maximum, but what it is for Alex is that he’s always his own person, although Jay-Jay is his uncle.

“There were times he’s been told he wasn’t as good as his uncle, but not everyone can be as good as Jay-Jay.