Abu Bakar Yasinand
Naomi Clarke,BBC Newsbeat
Getty ImagesHe’s played on some of the biggest stages in the world in the Premier League, but Alex Iwobi believes the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) is a “special” experience.
The tournament will see 24 teams battling for the continental crown across the next couple of weeks.
Fulham midfielder Iwobi will represent his home country of Nigeria in the competition, where they will be hoping to clinch the title after missing out in a 2-1 loss to Ivory Coast in 2023’s final.
“With Afcon, you get to celebrate Africa through football,” he tells BBC Newsbeat.
“You get to see different cultures, you get to see how different people dress, how people from Nigeria, the way we walk into the changing rooms.
“When some of the other countries walk into the changing rooms, we play music, so we’re celebrating our music through that as well.”
Nigeria will be hoping to redeem themselves after failing to qualify for a second successive World Cup.
Iwobi says it was a “big disappointment”, but the team will be using it to fuel them in the Afcon tournament.
“We owe it to ourselves to make it right, and there’s no better way from the last Afcon to improve (than) just to win this one,” the 29-year-old says.
Afcon is typically held every two years and this time Morocco is hosting.
Nigeria have won the competition three times over the years, the last being back in 2013.
Their most recent loss to Ivory Coast is still prominent in Iwobi’s mind as he says it “shattered” their dreams.
However, he feels the moment was “written” for striker Sébastien Haller, who scored the winning goal after overcoming testicular cancer.
“It was a tough loss, but you give credit when credit due, they deserved it,” Iwobi says.
“But it’s also fuelled us and we’ve been working hard to get into the Afcon again and, hopefully, this is our story.”
Getty ImagesThe Fulham midfielder was born in Lagos, but moved to London as a child. His talent was spotted early and he was selected to represent England up to under-18 level.
After many years with the Three Lions, he made his debut for Nigeria’s national team in 2015 as he says he felt more “at home” with the team.
“England treated me with a lot of respect and they loved me,” he says. “But at the same time, I felt more of a connection with my roots in Nigeria.”
He has since made 91 appearances, making him the fourth most capped player for the Nigerian Super Eagles.
Iwobi says he never thought he would play for Arsenal, Fulham, or Nigeria growing up, but he is “honoured and grateful” for his achievements.
Ademola Lookman, Calvin Bassey and Iwobi’s school friend Ola Aina are also among the players on the Nigerian national team who were not raised in the country.
They have been affectionately nicknamed the “innit boys”, and Iwobi hopes they have helped open the door for others to represent their home country.
“You’re Nigerian at the end of the day and you will get loved regardless,” he says.
Getty ImagesThere has been debate over whether Afcon gets the respect it deserves.
Earlier this year, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher caused a stir when he suggested Afcon was not considered a “major tournament”, when discussing Mohamed Salah’s chances of winning the coveted Ballon d’Or.
Iwobi feels there is still more work to be done.
“It’s obviously getting recognised a lot more,” he says. “There’s a lot of great talents, great nations representing.
“In the Premier League there’s a lot of players in each team that are going to be represented so the awareness is growing, but it definitely deserves a lot more respect, in my opinion.”
If he wins the tournament, the Fulham player says he will be on the phone to his parents and sister straight away, while his extended family will be dancing.
“I’ve heard from previous people that when they win it, it’s like everything just stops, you become like a king, you’re just royalty,” he says.
“Just going to the final we got treated like royalty anyway, so I can’t imagine winning it.
“It would just be crazy, but I want to experience that.”
