Premier League: Alex Iwobi set to break legendary record vs Crystal Palace to join elite James Milner club

Super Eagles playmaker Alex Iwobi is officially one match away from securing footballing immortality in the English top flight. 

As Alvaro Arbeloa’s Fulham prepare to host London rivals Crystal Palace at Craven Cottage this weekend, all eyes will be on the 30-year-old Nigerian international. Iwobi enters the tie sitting on 99 appearances for the Cottagers. 

The moment he steps onto the pitch, he will log his 100th game for the club, making him only the fifth player in Premier League history to reach a century of appearances for three different teams. 

It is an incredibly rare feat that highlights his remarkable longevity and consistency at the highest level, having already clocked 100 appearances for Arsenal and 123 for Everton. 

By reaching this 300+ career match milestone, Iwobi will join an ultra-exclusive list featuring British football royalty: Gary Speed, Rory Delap, Gareth Barry, and James Milner.

While the individual accolades deserve all the headlines, Iwobi knows there is no time for a party. Fulham have endured a deeply frustrating start to the 2026/27 campaign, slumping to consecutive defeats in their opening two matches. 

A bitter 3-2 opening-day loss against Chelsea was swiftly followed by a disappointing 1-0 slip-up against Sunderland. 

Iwobi has received plenty of praise for his tactical flexibility, executing an intense and discipline-heavy shift in Arbeloa's deeper double-pivot midfield system. 

However, the versatile midfielder will need to elevate his playmaking output to get the Cottagers off the mark and steady a ship that is already taking on early-season water.

Reclaiming three points this weekend will require digging incredibly deep, as Crystal Palace have historically been an absolute nightmare for Fulham to break down. 

The head-to-head records reveal a staggering psychological dominance for the South London visitors. In their last eight Premier League meetings, Fulham have managed to scrape just two solitary draws, with Palace completely bossing the other six encounters. 

Even worse for the Craven Cottage faithful, the Eagles have walked away victorious on each of their last three visits to West London, conceding a mere single goal along the way. 

Iwobi will need to invoke every bit of his veteran experience to shatter this historic derby curse.

While Iwobi prepares to make Premier League history at Craven Cottage, the Nigerian football ecosystem is moving fast. 

If you missed our previous stories, check out how Comfort Erhabor completed a blockbuster transfer to Crystal Palace Women to take a massive step in her international career. 

Meanwhile, the pressure is mounting on the men's international stage as national team coach Eric Chelle faces a furious fan backlash ahead of the upcoming AFCON 2027 qualification double-header.