Alex Iwobi featured in the English top-flight for the eleventh season on Saturday as Fulham kicked off their campaign with a one-all draw away to Brighton and Hove Albion at the AMEX.

The 29-year-old continues to enhance his reputation among Nigerians, having graced the Premier League after previously surpassing the record for most assists by imports from the country in the early weeks of last season.

In the wake of his latest personal achievement, which takes him to within one of the records for most Premier League seasons by a Nigerian, a record that currently belongs to Shola Ameobi, we take a look at ten Nigerians with the most campaigns in the competition.

9 Nigerians With the Most Different Premier League Seasons Played

Since Efan Ekoku became the first Nigerian to play in the Premier League in March 1993, a host of others have also made their way into the English top flight, from those groomed in the country to imports from overseas.

Here are eight of those who have played in the most different seasons in the competition.

8. Joseph Yobo - 9 Different Premier League Seasons Played

Joseph Yobo became David Moyes' first signing as Everton boss in the summer of 2002 when he joined from Olympique Marseille on an initial loan with an option, which was taken up after an impressive first season.

The defender featured in 196 Premier League games in eight seasons before becoming surplus to requirements and eventually left to join Fenerbache in the summer of 2010.

Yobo returned to the Premier League in January 2014 with Norwich City on a six-month loan deal from the Turkish club, played eight more top-flight games to take his tally to 204, where he scored eight goals — all for Everton.

8. Yakubu Aiyegbeni - 9 Different Premier League Seasons Played 

During his professional days, Yakubu Aiyegbeni played in nine different seasons in the English top flight, placing him amongst Nigerians with the most Premier League seasons played.

The striker first moved to England on an initial loan from Maccabi Haifa for the second half of the 2002-03 season, when he helped Portsmouth win promotion to the top-flight, and sealed a permanent move in the summer.

Yakubu Aiyegbeni made his Premier League debut with Pompey, before going on to represent the likes of Middlesbrough, Everton, and lastly Blackburn Rovers in his final season in the competition in 2011-12.

He played a combined total of 95 goals and 24 assists in 252 games for all four clubs. Yakubu Aiyegbeni is the highest-scoring Nigerian in Premier League history.

5. Victor Moses - 10 Different Premier League Seasons Played 

After progressing through the ranks to Crystal Palace, Victor Moses signed for Premier League club Wigan Athletic in January 2010, where he played for two and a half seasons before joining Chelsea in the summer of 2012.

At Chelsea, the winger played in his first season but spent the next three on loan at Liverpool, Stoke City, and West Ham United before returning and playing a crucial part in Antonio Conte's side that won the league in 2016-17.

After the 2017-18 season, Moses never played again, although he remained in the books at Chelsea; he spent time on loan in other leagues. He returned with newly promoted Luton Town in 2023-24, adding one to his previous nine seasons.

Moses concluded with a total of 220 Premier League appearances, marked it with 20 goals and as many assists.

5. John Obi Mikel - 10 Different Premier League Seasons Played

Former Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel is the only notable Nigerian with the most different Premier League seasons played to represent one club in the competition, Chelsea.

The former Midfielder spent ten seasons in West London, enjoying winning the Premier League title twice in 2009-10 and 2014-15, before departing for China in January 2017, six months before the end of his contract.

Mikel played in all ten seasons between 2006-07 and 2015-16, amassing a total of 249 games, scoring just one goal and assisting ten others.

5. Celestine Babayaro - 10 Different Premier League Seasons Played 

Legendary left-back Celestine Babayaro arrived at Chelsea in 1997 and played until the end of the first half of Jose Mourinho's debut season in January 2005, joining Newcastle United for an undisclosed fee.

He went on to play two seasons, one full and two halves, for The Magpies before leaving for Major League Soccer in the United States in the winter transfer window of 2008, where he signed a three-year deal with Los Angeles FC.

Babayaro was involved in the 2007-08 season before his departure, so he combined 180 appearances for both clubs, scored five goals, and assisted 11.

4. Alex Iwobi - 11 Different Premier League Seasons Played

Alex Iwobi emerged from the Arsenal Academy of Hale End and became a part of the senior team following his debut in the 2015-16 season, where he impressed Arsène Wenger as a teenager.

He went on to become a regular in the team in the Frenchman's final seasons and under Unai Emery, before he was sold to Everton after the Spaniard's first season. Five years later, he returned to London with Fulham.

He has made 292 appearances so far, scored 38 times, and assisted 31, the latter of which is a record for a Nigerian in Premier League history.

2. Victor Anichebe - 12 Different Premier League Seasons Played 

Victor Anichebe progressed from the ranks at Everton and is not only famously known for being a Nigerian silver medalist at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, but also the first Nigerian teenager to score a Premier League goal.

The former striker is joint second for the most different Premier League seasons played by a Nigerian, with 12, the majority of which came in the colours of the Toffees.

Anichebe went on to represent West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland, taking his Premier League appearance tally to 204, scoring 27 goals and eleven assists.

2. Kanu Nwankwo - 12 Different Premier League Seasons Played 

Kanu Nwankwo stands at joint second in the list of Nigerians with the most different Premier League seasons played, level with Victor Anichebe.

The former forward first arrived in England with Arsenal in 1999, where he won two league titles, including the Invincibles in 2004, leaving at the end of his contract that same season.

Famously voted 13th in the "Gunners' Greatest 50 Players" poll in 2008, Kanu went on to play for West Brom before joining Portsmouth in 2006, where he spent six seasons until his retirement in the summer of 2012.

He featured in all Premier League seasons starting in 1999-00 to 2011-12, totaling 12 seasons across three clubs, made 271 appearances, scoring 54 goals, and assisting 30 others.

The 1996 Olympics gold medalist held the record for most Premier League assists by a Nigerian player before being overtaken by Alex Iwobi during the 2024-25 season.

1. Shola Ameobi - 14 Different Premier League Seasons Played 

Newcastle United legend Shola Ameobi holds the record for the most different Premier League seasons played by a Nigerian with 14, of which 13 came in the colours of Newcastle United.

After his graduation from the club's Academy, Shola Ameobi went on to play 14 years at Newcastle, spending one of those in the Championship in 2009-10, but regained promotion back to the top-flight immediately in the following season.

His other Premier League season was spent at Crystal Palace, where he added four more appearances to take his total in the competition to 299, which stands as a second for most of any Nigerian in Premier League history.

Shola Ameobi scored 43 goals and assisted 30 others, making him one of the Nigerians with the most assists in the competition, behind only Alex Iwobi.