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Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE How Alex Iwobi is embracing being more than just a footballer - as Fulham star explains why he spent the off-season walking with Lions in Dubai
For Alex Iwobi, the mantra of being more than a footballer is evident in his everyday life through his wide range of passions be it music or fashion or charity, yet above all it is his love for the game that rises above everything else. When we speak, Iwobi is in the middle of his time off, which has involved plenty of travelling including walking with lions in Dubai and a trip to Paris Fashion Week and of course, the odd Powerleague session back at home in London. 'I love playing fives with my boys. When you play with friends, it brings that element of when you were young and having all that fun with football back,' Iwobi tells Mail Sport. 'When I go back to my area, I play with my mates who I've known for years. They give me a fake name like John just so we can enjoy the football - other professional players go too but I'm not sure if they want me to say. 'My mates are all very competitive, but they won't put in a dirty challenge. Sometimes I go past a player really easily and I'm like "Come on man, you're being a bit safe" but at the same time, I don't go into any reckless challenges as well.' For the fourth summer in a row, the Fulham midfielder has combined football with his constant pursuit of giving back through the Project 17 Cup - which aims to inspire young players and raise awareness for a specific cause. This year, the focus is on sickle cell disease in association with ACLT (African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust), a life-saving charity working to increase the number of black blood, stem cell and organ donors. 'Me and my team decided to do it. We're trying to raise as much awareness for people who have sickle cell and give back to ACLT,' Iwobi says. 'It's something that we try to do - giving back to different charities every year. Sickle cell disease affected one of the people close to Project 17 so we decided to go with it,' the 29-year-old adds. When we last spoke in December, it was the week when Iwobi and Fulham drew with Liverpool at Anfield and the following day, he was back in London feeding 100 families for Christmas as part of Project 17 through an initiative called AleXpress. 'With the position I am in, I feel like it's only right with the influence I have that I give back as well,' he told Mail Sport then. Fulham were in the middle of an eight-game unbeaten run then and with genuine hopes of European football before they eventually finished 11th - a third mid-table finish in a row since getting promoted with Marco Silva in 2022. With 54 points last season, it was also the highest that Fulham have accumulated in the Premier League. For Iwobi, whose current deal runs till 2028, it is very much a case of feeling at home. 'We're not team-mates, we're all like brothers because we do so much together,' he says. 'I'm very comfortable here and I want to achieve more, like getting Fulham into Europe.' So what can we expect this season then? 'More commitment, more desire, more vibes,' he says, while sitting in his Odell Beckham jersey. 'I put 100 percent in last season so this year will be 110 per cent.' Before we finish, there is one more thing I have to ask about. Scroll down his Instagram and there is a video captioned 'Evening Walks' from earlier in the summer. Open it and it is Iwobi walking with a lion. 'I was in Dubai with my friends and we just wanted to do activities. Someone recommended a zoo so we went and once the staff realised I was there, they got a bit more hospitable. Anyway, Ashton Hall was there walking the tiger so they asked me if I wanted to walk the lion. I actually wasn't scared,' Iwobi says. 'But the only thing I'm scared of is heights.' With Fulham wanting to scale new heights and Nigeria wanting to win the Africa Cup of Nations this winter, after coming runners-up in 2023, that's a fear he'll have to overcome.
New York Times
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Alex Iwobi: Music-maker, Snapchat joker and a Premier League performer from Arsenal to Fulham
What you see is what you get with Alex Iwobi. Whether it's his flair in matches or the laughs generated by his Snapchat stories, the Fulham and Nigeria midfielder always comes across as genuine. That is why Iwobi lying back on his sofa for most of this interview is no issue. He's relaxed, happy to amble down memory lane and discuss more recent ventures as if he were catching up with a friend. And there is a lot to catch up on. The 29-year-old has made public his passion for music, beaten a childhood friend in the 'Snapchat derby', and tried to impart the wisdom of Premier League greats Arsene Wenger and Frank Lampard onto the next generation. Advertisement Project 17, a passion project he set up in 2021, has helped improve that connection with the next wave of talent growing up in London. This is the fourth summer it has hosted football tournaments, The P17 Cup, with the joint purpose of inspiring young players and raising awareness for a specific cause. This year, Project 17 focused on educating people about the effects of sickle cell disease and the importance of Black people making blood donations. 'We're working with a life-saving charity called ACLT (African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust) to help raise awareness for people who have sickle cell,' Iwobi tells The Athletic. 'One of my team has someone close to home who may be affected by it, so we decided to go along with his idea and push through. Not just for him but to raise awareness for other people going through this, to help reduce it and find treatments for them.' People with sickle cell disease produce misshapen red blood cells that can block blood flow to the rest of the body. Many studies, including one published in America's National Library of Medicine, have found that Black people are at a much higher risk of being affected by sickle cell disease. Players and spectators at the P17 Cup had the opportunity to sign up to make donations on a day when Iwobi's energy shone through. He walked the two teams who reached the under-12 final onto the pitch and presented the winners with the trophy as his father, Chuka, took the mic — something Alex often does himself. Going by the stage name 17, his squad number at Arsenal, Everton and Fulham, Iwobi dropped his first song publicly last summer. Don't Shoot featured fellow Arsenal academy graduate and east Londoner Chuba Akpom, but music has been an integral part of Iwobi's life since he was a teenager. 'I've been doing music since secondary school,' Iwobi says. 'I made a song when I was 13 with a guy on my road. I have a studio at my house, so whenever I have free time, I go to my studio and just lay off what's on my mind. But in the past two years, my boy said, 'Why don't you release it?', and I thought, 'Why not?'.' Part of the initial hesitation around releasing his music was about timing. The midfielder did not want to give the appearance of being distracted from football, particularly when he was fighting relegation with Everton. He believes his consistently excellent displays at Fulham this season contributed to the music being received positively, even if that has led to some unexpected encounters. 'I went to Turks and Caicos with my boys and one random kid started singing one of my songs,' he says. 'I was like, 'Wow, I'm doing all right with music'. I mentioned Declan Rice in a song and he (Rice) loves it. He sent me videos of him listening to the song on holiday.' In 2023, a masked rapper called Dide went viral for claiming to be a Premier League footballer. Asked why, in contrast, he was happy to take ownership of his music, Iwobi says: 'A few footballers had already done it — Memphis Depay and Rafael Leao, for example. I didn't want to hide my identity. If I'm going to do something, I want people to know it's me.' Advertisement Iwobi has happily showcased his personality in podcasts and he is becoming more noticed for his Snapchat profile, too. For over a decade, Iwobi has been posting public photos on the social media platform when going out with friends or playing football at his local Goals, centres where you can rent pitches to play five-a-side. Last season, he took to posting funny behind-the-scenes moments in the Fulham dressing room. Nottingham Forest's Ola Aina did similar, providing a glimpse of the vibes whether after big wins or at breakfast. 'Then it became a Snapchat derby,' Iwobi says, as both his and Aina's followers eagerly anticipated the scenes after their teams met. 'Especially because me and Ola grew up together. We went to the same school and grew up on the same road. 'I'm just happy we beat Forest home and away. Ola messaged me saying, 'Alex, don't even entertain or mention my name'. I was like, 'Bro, don't worry, I'll spare you, but I'll let you know we won'.' Compared to the NBA or NFL, it is rare to see a footballer as open and personable as Iwobi. Part of that may be down to the culture of football being more serious, but Iwobi's need to express himself has been welcomed by the managers who have understood him best. 'Normally, that's when I'm playing my best football,' he says. 'Especially last season. Marco Silva told me: 'Just go and express yourself. You seem like a cool guy off the pitch. When you're happy, it helps with your football. Just keep doing that'.' Lampard, the former Chelsea midfielder and Everton manager, recognised the importance of giving Iwobi that freedom on the pitch, too. In January 2022, Rafa Benitez had just been sacked and Iwobi returned to Merseyside after receiving a red card in Nigeria's Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) round-of-16 defeat against Tunisia. He was informed that Lampard would be taking charge, but that the club would like him to go out on loan. Having broken straight through to Arsenal's first team from the academy, loans had never been part of Iwobi's agenda. Advertisement 'I had nothing to lose,' he recalls. 'Lampard's been appointed and I've come in to train. I've always been a good trainer, but in training, I like to drift (on the pitch). Especially when you're not on the starting team, you can express yourself a bit more. 'Then Joe Edwards, one of his coaching staff, said: 'Alex, why don't you play like this in matches?'. I said: 'Normally, recent managers have just wanted me to set the ball or make runs in behind as a winger because they just think I'm fast.' 'They said, 'We're going to experiment and put you in midfield. Have you played there before?'. I told them that's where I used to play in the academy, as a No 8 and a No 10. We played against West Ham and apart from one mistake, I played really well in that game and they continued with it.' Lampard's instructions were to 'play your game, your ability is different to what I had'. Previous coaches had used Iwobi as a touchline winger, and sometimes as a wing-back, but Iwobi was back to linking play like he once had at Arsenal. He has continued to prosper since moving to Fulham, where he has been prized for his versatility and quality on the ball. The 2024-25 season was Iwobi's most productive Premier League campaign in front of goal as he scored nine and assisted six (15 goal contributions). His previous best returns came in his final seasons at Arsenal and Everton, registering nine goal contributions in each. Fulham have also provided a nice return to Iwobi's Arsenal roots, with fellow academy graduates Emile Smith Rowe and Reiss Nelson joining the club last season. Nelson has returned to Arsenal after his loan spell ended, but Smith Rowe kept his former team-mate guessing on whether he would be making a transfer to south-west London. 'I heard so many rumours,' Iwobi says. 'I asked him: 'Yo, are you joining Fulham?', and he goes, 'I don't know, I don't know'. When he finally came, I was like: 'My guy is here'. I assisted his first professional goal for Arsenal, so I've seen his ability. I know how good Emile is. He's such a great player. He has been unfortunate that his injuries have set him back. But once Emile is fit, he's one of the best young talents in England.' Advertisement In April, Iwobi and Smith Rowe returned to the Emirates for a match steeped in Hale End subplots, with Bukayo Saka making his return from a three-month hamstring injury. Saka entered the pitch as Smith Rowe departed, with both afforded standing ovations as they high-fived each other. It was a special moment, even before Saka scored Arsenal's crucial second goal. Iwobi, who replaced Smith Rowe, couldn't help but be caught up even if he was trying to earn Fulham points. 'Bukayo jogged past Calvin Bassey and me to warm up and the whole crowd cheered,' he says. 'I joined in on the sly because it was nice for him to be back. Bukayo jumped on the pitch and scored. We were thinking, 'Damn'. He even tried to nutmeg me in the game. I was like, 'Bro, you can't be doing that to me'.' Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, Arsenal's next generation of academy stars, started that match. Iwobi's father often speaks to Lewis-Skelly's mother, Marcia, to offer his experience on how to prepare for the future. When the Fulham midfielder crossed paths with Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri, his advice to the teenagers was to 'keep doing you, there's a reason you're playing so early, just keep on enjoying your football'. The conversation drew parallels to those he had with Wenger a decade ago. The chats tended to come after training sessions and, rather than being overloaded with information, Iwobi remembers the value of the Frenchman's wisdom. 'He'd advise me on how I should put my body in certain positions to receive the ball or how I should take my touch on my left or my right foot,' he says. 'Before my first Champions League start — against Barcelona at Camp Nou — I didn't think I would be in the line-up. He just said to me: 'Be ready. When the time comes, play the way you've been training. Get on the ball, be brave, be courageous and express yourself'.' That was 10 seasons ago but that desire from coaches for Iwobi to continue expressing himself has been consistent. It has helped him forge one of the most impressive careers of any Arsenal academy graduate to have left the club in recent history. Iwobi has 291 Premier League appearances to his name, putting him on track to beat Shola Ameobi's tally of 298 early next season. His aims for the upcoming campaign are quite simple. After helping Fulham achieve their best top-flight points tally in 2024-25 (54), he is hoping to take them to European qualification. December also sees the return of AFCON and, after reaching the final in 2023, he wants to lift the trophy with Nigeria. As far as off-pitch ventures go, Iwobi hasn't thought too deeply about what is next. He wants to work with more big music artists, but insists he's living in the moment. 'There will be more things coming,' he adds, 'but it'll be a surprise to me and to everyone else.'
The Sun
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Kind-hearted Fulham star Alex Iwobi wants to keep charity work off the pitch as he opens up on struggles
GENEROUS Alex Iowbi wants to keep his charity work strictly OFF the pitch. Fulham made a habit of taking points off the big boys last season but giving too many against the teams they felt they should beat. 9 9 League doubles over Newcastle and Nottingham Forest were supplemented by beating Chelsea and taking four points off champions Liverpool. But painful defeats to Wolves, West Ham, Everton and two against struggling Manchester United denied the Cottagers a spot in Europe. So rather than handing out freebies to their Prem rivals, Iwobi is determined to keep supporting those less fortunate with his Project 17 charity. Set up in 2021, Iwobi was keen to use his public profile and platform to make a positive impact in society. Ventures have included a homeless shelter and setting up a shop of free food at Christmas. And this weekend was the latest P17 Cup - his very own football tournament. After previous editions in Dagenham and Enfield, this year's event was in Bromley in association with ACLT, a life-saving charity working to increase the number of black blood, stem cell and organ donors. Representation in blood donation is urgent. Only two per cent of donors are black, yet conditions like sickle cell disease primarily affect black communities. Iwobi, 29, told SunSport: 'We're trying to raise awareness for people that are suffering with sickle cell and educate others. 'We started Project 17 after Covid lockdown when my secondary school boys said I should show I'm human and there's more to me than just football. Ex-Arsenal ace Alex Iwobi releases music video for his second single What's Luv as fans call it 'great retirement plan' 'Obviously, I like to do the music, I like to do fashion and I also like to also give back to charities. 'It's not just the good, but also the bad stuff as well. I want people to know that not only that I go through the great times, but there's also tough times in my life. 'For example, everyone suffers with mental illness or mental struggles. I do have my struggles as well.' Iwobi says honest and vulnerable conversations about mental health take place in the 'brotherhood' that is the Fulham dressing room. But there have also been frank conversations about results, especially after slipping up against teams Marco Silva's men expected to beat last season. WHAT IS SICKLE CELL DISEASE? SICKLE cell disease is a genetic condition that prevents red blood cells from developing properly. The cells can become abnormally shaped and die quicker than healthy blood cells, raising the risk of clots or blood vessel blockages. Most people live normal lives with the condition but it can trigger flare-ups called sickle cell crises, when symptoms become painful and may lead to complications. Signs include: Dizziness Pain Tiredness and weakness Headaches Shortness of breath Patients with sickle cell disorders are also at higher risk of infections, anaemia (low blood iron), gallstones, stroke, high blood pressure and kidney problems. There is no definitive cure for sickle cell disease and many patients require treatment throughout their lives. An estimated 15,000 people in England have it and it is more common in black people. The West Londoners paid the price last season by finishing 11th. Now after seeing Crystal Palace lift their first major trophy and qualify for Europe, Fulham want to do the same. Iwobi added: 'Of course. We were so close last season to achieving Europe. 'We always seem to do well against the so-called bigger teams. I don't know if we just mentally get psyched up and prepared to play. 'They are a bit more open in the sense that they all want to attack, attack, attack. They may leave a few more gaps for us to exploit. 'But against the least-favoured teams, the teams we should be favoured to win, we seem to struggle a bit more, they defend patiently. 'We're trying to work on it in training. Hopefully, next season, we'll find ways to break down teams that like to defend with 11 men behind the ball and produce a lot more consistent results.' 9 9 9 9 9 9 9
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alaska small businesses need investment, not abandoned contracts
Traffic in downtown Anchorage on Oct. 10, 2024. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon) This week is National Small Business Week, a time to celebrate the entrepreneurs who keep our communities vibrant and full of opportunity. In Anchorage, we're lucky we don't have to look far to see that spirit in action. Just last week, a room full of small business owners, proud families, and community members gathered in Spenard to celebrate the newest graduates of Anchorage Community Land Trust's Set Up Shop and Indigenous Peoples Set Up Shop programs. These programs help entrepreneurs in underserved communities launch and grow their businesses, creating a ripple effect of community revitalization and generational wealth. But just as we mark this week meant to honor small businesses, the future of this work is in jeopardy. Recently, the federal government terminated congressionally approved grants that fund these very programs. That means Set Up Shop — a proven path to self-sufficiency for underserved entrepreneurs — may not continue in its current form. And let's be clear. This isn't about government waste or bloated bureaucracy. It's about breaking a contract. Imagine hiring a contractor to paint your home. They buy the paint, prep the walls, schedule a crew, and then you cancel the job halfway through and refuse to pay. Most people would agree that's unethical, and certainly indefensible. Yet that's exactly what's happening to nonprofits like ACLT, who were asked to do a job, only to see the funding pulled midstream. The work still needs to be done, but the government has walked away. We're not just talking about line items in a budget. We're talking about hard- working Alaskans who have done everything right. They've taken business classes, written plans, earned certifications, and opened storefronts, and are now left with fewer tools and less support than they were promised. When we don't invest in our own people, we pay the price in other ways, with lost jobs, empty buildings, and neighborhoods full of untapped potential. When an entrepreneur opens a new business in Anchorage they hire locally. They spend locally. They transform vacant lots into thriving storefronts. The economic return goes far beyond the individual business owner and it makes our city a better place to live. Set Up Shop has helped more than 500 entrepreneurs turn ideas into realities, and side hustles into fully fledged businesses. These businesses hire locally, pay taxes, and invest in their neighborhoods. That's not charity. That's economic infrastructure built from the ground up. We will continue to do this work, with or without the original funding. That's what it means to serve your community. But we could benefit from you being with us. If you believe in the promise of local business and the power of neighborhood-led change, we invite you to consider supporting ACLT and, most importantly, supporting these entrepreneurs. You could visit their businesses, share their stories and help us keep the momentum alive. Because when we invest in our neighbors, we all win — and that's just good business. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
