Fulham’s Nigerian duo Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey have affirmed their connection to their roots by revealing their love for food made in the West African country.
The pair have been reunited at club level since joining Fulham at the start of the season. Iwobi moved from Everton to Craven Cottage and has settled in seamlessly while becoming a key player under manager Marco Silva.
Bassey’s story is quite similar: after a testing one-year stint in the Netherlands with Ajax Amsterdam, the centre-back joined Fulham to rediscover his best form and has since done exactly that.
Both Iwobi and Bassey were regulars for Nigeria during the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024) in Ivory Coast earlier this year, where the Super Eagles secured a runners-up finish. Bassey started every match for Nigeria during the tournament, while Iwobi missed just one game, which was the Super Eagles’ final group clash against Guinea-Bissau, where Jose Peseiro decided to rest the midfielder.
Iwobi and Bassey discuss their favourite Nigerian foods
While Iwobi and Bassey grew up outside Nigeria, both have a strong connection to their roots after switching nationality to play for the Super Eagles.
Iwobi was born in Lagos but moved to England at the age of four and played for England at youth level. He is also the nephew of Nigerian football great Augustine Jay-Jay Okocha. Bassey was born in Italy but grew up in England, where he rose through the ranks at Leicester City’s academy.
The pair have remained true to their Nigerian roots and have now opened up on how they love to consume local foods from the West African country. Iwobi said as a man from the Igbo tribe, his favourite food is ‘abacha’ and revealed that his mother usually prepares it.
“I’m from a tribe where it’s called Igbo. My favourite food is called abacha. It’s a typical Igbo dish that my mum can make and it’s so sweet. It’s like a mixed-race version of pasta and rice,” he said on the Premier League’s Uncut show.
Bassey, who is also Igbo, picked pounded yam as his favourite Nigerian food, saying: “I can’t lie bro, I’m a pounded yam type of guy. My hand in, yeah. [Eating] with your hand, you know. Egusi stew.”
Iwobi, Bassey revel in beating Manchester United
Meanwhile, Iwobi and Bassey also revelled in scoring in Fulham’s historic 2-1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford in February. The Nigerian duo started against the Red Devils and both were on the scoresheet as the Cottagers surprised the hosts.
Bassey opened the scoring for Silva’s side in the 65th minute after bundling the ball into the net following a mix-up in the Manchester United penalty box. Erik Ten Hag’s side, however, equalised in the 89th minute through Harry Maguire.
With the game seemingly destined to end in a draw, Iwobi popped up with the winner deep into added time after finishing off a blistering counter-attacking move. Reacting to scoring against the 20-time English champions, Iwobi said: “It was nice to actually be on the winning side against Manchester United, you know. I don’t think I’ve beaten them, so to get the winning goal was nice.”
Bassey added: “I can’t lie, I didn’t even realise I had scored. It was mad.” Iwobi and Bassey are mathematically guaranteed survival in the Premier League, with Fulham opening a 17-point lead over 18th-placed Luton Town. The Nigerian duo are also expected to start when the Cottagers take on Liverpool in their next Premier League game on Sunday.
