Adedokun Waliyu 
Nigerian winger Alex Iwobi has praised the support system he has in the Nigeria national team, Everton, and his family for the part they played in helping him make the turnaround in form towards the end of the 2021/22 season.
A lot of people believe that the turning point came for the 25-year-old when he scored the 99th minute winner against Newcastle United at Goodison Park, but Iwobi disagrees.
Iwobi considers the turning point to be the red card he picked up against Tunisia in the Africa Cup of Nations, which was when he hit rock bottom.
Following that incident, he reached out to his support system and they helped him through that period, before the arrival of a manager at Everton who believed in him in the form of Frank Lampard.
“I had lows of not really playing under the previous manager (Rafael Benitez) and then that red card was one of the hardest challenges to overcome”, Iwobi told the Liverpool Echo.
Iwobi revealed his gratitude for his support system, saying that his performances in Everton’s resurgence to finish in 16th place would not have been possible otherwise.
“What I am grateful for is the support system I have at this club, with Nigeria and with my family. They were able to talk to me and get through to me”, he added.
“That is why I was able to have a decent run towards the end of the season because without them I would have been struggling.”
Everton managed to secure their Premier League survival with a game to spare after beating Crystal Palace at home despite conceding two goals in the first half.
For his performances in the latter stages of the season, Iwobi was nicked ‘Iwobi-wan Kenobi’ by fans at the Merseyside after popular Star Wars jedi, Obi-wan Kenobi.
Iwobi also showed good form in the national team netting the equalizer as the Super Eagles came from a goal down to win their opening game at the group stage of the AFCON qualifiers. He also started in the team’s record-setting 10-0 win over Sao Tome and Principe in their second match.
