Alex Iwobi may not dominate the back pages, but he has been one of the most important players for Nigeria at AFCON 2025, if you know where to look.
Watching Nigeria’s quarter-final revenge 2–0 win over Algeria, the headlines rightly belonged to Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and goalscorer Akor Adams. Yet beneath the noise, Iwobi was quietly shaping almost everything Nigeria did well.
He no longer plays like the attacking midfielder we once knew. The late box runs and flashy goals have largely faded. In their place is a deeper, calmer, smarter footballer. Iwobi now operates as the engine room, the link between defence and attack, the steady hand that allows Nigeria’s stars to flourish.
The numbers tell the same story. Alex Iwobi completed 36 line-breaking passes in the knockout rounds alone, 22 when Nigeria played against Mozambique and 14 against Algeria, more than any other player at AFCON 2025. These are not passes that trend on highlight reels, but they are the passes that decide matches.
His defence-splitting vision has been central to Nigeria’s 2025 campaign. When Osimhen receives early service or when Lookman finds space to attack, it often begins with Iwobi seeing the picture before everyone else.
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