Iwobi's Hunger For Everton Success

Alex Iwobi is fighting every day to prove “I should be playing for Everton” – and claims Carlo Ancelotti’s team is as strong as any he’s represented in his career.

Forward Iwobi's return to Everton's starting XI following November's international break has coincided with a sequence of four wins and one draw from six matches.

In an extensive interview featured in Everton’s matchday programme for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final with Manchester United, Iwobi discloses why the words End Police Brutality are stitched into his black boots.

Iwobi insisted, too, that the practice of players taking the knee before matches to show support for racial justice “will forever have value”.

The 24-year-old joined Everton in August 2019, leaving Arsenal, where he reached three major cup finals and never finished outside the Premier League’s top six.

“Every day I try to prove to myself I should be here, that I should be playing for Everton,” said Iwobi.

“That I should be in the starting XI. That I should be representing my country.

“I always have that motivation.

“Especially because of what my family went through for me to get where I am.

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“It gives me that hunger to improve myself and I work every day to try to do that.

“I want to fight for not just me but the hundreds of thousands of Evertonians and the people who follow and support me.

“I feel I owe it to them to give 100 per cent every day.

“This Everton side is as good as the Arsenal teams I was in, absolutely.


“We have talented, international players, in the team and on the bench.

“The chemistry in the dressing room is great.

“We see the quality in training every day… it needs to consistently come out on the pitch and all of us know we can improve and offer more.”

Read the full version of Iwobi’s interview in Everton’s matchday programme for this week’s cup clash with Manchester United.

Copies are available online or at Everton One next to Goodison.

Supporters attending the game can purchase an issue inside the stadium – where only contactless payment is accepted.

Iwobi has played 44 games for Everton and is producing, arguably, his best football since moving to Goodison Park.

He is a progressively increasing influence for Nigeria’s national team, too, and on the cusp of reaching the next Africa Cup of Nations tournament, set for Cameroon in early 2022.

Iwobi, in common with a number of sporting compatriots, is using his profile to publicise the plight of citizens allegedly injured and killed during protests against Nigeria's Special Anti-Robbery Squad.

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“It is awful to see what is happening in Nigeria,” said Iwobi.

“It is so sad. People are protesting for their rights and being killed. 

“I am in a position where I am able to influence a lot of people and I will always use my voice to speak out about what is right.

“It is important we use our platforms to make people aware of what is happening.

“I also feel I have to let people know with my feet.

“I was able to get customised black boots, so people all over the world can see I am supporting the cause.”


Premier League players began taking the knee prior to kick-off in matches following football’s June return from the coronavirus suspension.

A Professional Footballers’ Association survey this month discovered “overwhelming support” for the gesture to continue.

“Taking a knee will forever have value,” said Iwobi.

“It shows everyone around the world, we are behind the movement for change.

“By us doing that before every match, in front of millions of viewers, the conversation continues, which is vital.”

Everton's latest exclusive-packed matchday programme includes an in-depth interview with Bjarni Vidarsson, the Icelandic midfielder, who reflects on a career that didn’t unfold as planned after joining the Club aged 16.

Manager Carlo Ancelotti and Seamus Coleman, Everton’s captain, write their respective notes to supporters and there is all the latest from the Club’s Women, Under-23 and Under-18 teams.