{
  "id": 17550707,
  "title": "From Salah to Iwobi: African players with most appearances in EPL history",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/from-salah-to-iwobi-african-players-with-most-appearances-in-epl",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-01T07:00:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/from-salah-to-iwobi-african-players-with-most-appearances-in-epl-history/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Fulham's Alex Iwobi has cemented his place as the second most prolific African player in the Premier League's history, with 328 to 329 appearances. This achievement puts him just behind Ivory Coast legend Kolo Touré, who holds the record with 353 appearances across his time at Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool. Iwobi achieved this milestone during Fulham's recent fixtures, including a 1-0 win over Coventry City in late October 2026, where he reached his 328th appearance. He has accumulated his 328 appearances across three clubs: 100 for Arsenal, 123 for Everton, and over 100 for Fulham since joining in 2023. Iwobi also holds the Nigerian record for appearances in the competition, surpassing Shola Ameobi's previous mark of 298. He is still about 25 appearances away from matching Touré's overall African record. The current top of the African appearance rankings reads: Kolo Touré (Ivory Coast) - 353, Alex Iwobi (Nigeria) - 328, Mohamed Salah (Egypt) - 328, Jordan Ayew (Ghana) - 305 and Wilfried Zaha (Ivory Coast) - 305.",
  "summary": "Fulham and Nigeria midfielder Alex Iwobi has moved into second place for all-time Premier League appearances by an African player, surpassing Mohamed Salah Read More: https://punchng.com/from-salah-to-iwobi-african-players-with-most-appearances-in-epl-history/",
  "key_points": [
    "Alex Iwobi becomes second most prolific African player in EPL history with 328 appearances.",
    "Iwobi surpasses Shola Ameobi's Nigerian record of 298 appearances.",
    "Iwobi trails Ivory Coast legend Kolo Touré by 25 appearances in overall African record."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Iwobi’s milestone marks a growing trend of African talent achieving long-term consistency and sustained presence across multiple Premier League clubs.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "New game puts players in charge of a South African municipality",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/01/new-game-puts-players-in-charge-of-a-south-african-municipality",
        "published": "2026-11-01T07:50:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}