Okocha’s fans won me over for Nigeria ― Alex Iwobi

Alex Iwobi faced a dilemma when deciding which nation to play for.

The Arsenal midfielder could choose the country of his birth, Nigeria, or the country where he grew up and spent most of his years, England.

That he chose Nigeria was partly due to his uncle, the former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Jay Jay Okocha, who is a legend in the West African country.

Iwobi was swayed by the reception he saw his uncle receive on his return to his hometown, Lagos.

“I went over there to see what it’s like and the way they described my uncle,” Iwobi tells Arsenal TV. “Wow, he’s a legend.”

“Even when we were just walking around with him and in the car, the acknowledgement he gets from everyone… I thought, ‘Wow, maybe one day I would like to feel like that as well’.

“He influenced me without even talking to me about it.”