Life took a dramatic turn for young Alex Iwobi, the son of Chuba Iwobi, when he joined Arsenal while still in primary school. Excited to be part of one of England’s top teams, Alex was unaware of the challenges ahead. In 2004, when Arsenal expected their academy players to perform at their peak, Alex discovered that his best wasn’t quite enough. As a result, he faced the threat of being released from the club at just 14 and again at 16.
This article dives into the full story of the Nigerian football talent known as ‘Big 17.’ Our version of Alex Iwobi’s biography covers his childhood and notable events leading up to his rise to fame. Let’s explore the details of his journey.
Inside the Life of Alex Iwobi: Boyhood, Early Struggles, and Success
While many are aware of Alex Iwobi’s intense mentality and impressive ball-carrying skills, few have delved into his biography, which is truly fascinating. So, without further ado, let’s dive into his story.
Alex Iwobi Childhood Story – Early Years:
A childhood photo of Alex Iwobi.
To start with, Alexander Chuka “Alex” Iwobi was born on May 3rd, year 1996, in Lagos, Nigeria, to Mr. and Mrs. Chuba Iwobi.
At age 2, his family moved to Turkey to join his mother’s relation, who is former Nigerian player Austin Jay-Jay Okocha.
At that time, Okocha was playing at Fenabache. In 2002, when he was 4, Iwobi was taken to London by his family after his uncle moved there to play with Bolton Wanderers.
He was raised fully in an east London estate close to Bolton Wanderers.
In England, he started off playing football with his friends on nearby pitches close to his estate.
Career Start:
Iwobi signed for Arsenal while still at primary school at the tender age of eight. His signature at the club was influenced by Austin Jay-Jay Okocha.
This is young Alex Iwobi, and he was signing his first contract.
He developed a life where he multi-tasked between playing football and studying. His youth career time at Arsenal came at a time when the club was at the peak of English football.
Alex Iwobi was a happy child at Arsenal until the unfortunate happened. [Read Below].
Alex Iwobi Biography – When the Going Gets Tough:
Things didn’t go well at his early start, as he was close to being released by the club when he was in his early teens.
His mum wasn’t proud of the performance of her son, so they sent her a threatening letter of release. This shocked the family.
Mrs Chuba Iwobi reviews her son’s performance report.
Alex Iwobi’s reading a letter from Arsenal threatening to release her son
Iwobi reflects,
“Because I wasn’t as big, fast, or strong as the others, people questioned my abilities and whether I was making enough of an impact on the game. It was frustrating, especially since I was also struggling at school. I kept asking myself, ‘What can I do to get better?’
I started doing extra sessions with my dad and friends, and my mum even had me doing kick-ups in the living room. My sister tried playing football too. My mum even invited her brother Okocha and his friend Kanu for private training sessions. Everyone was really trying to help me out.”
Naturally, they were all proud of how Iwobi turned things around.
Later on, as a youth team player, he got braver on the pitch and learned not to shy away from physical challenges. This was what Nwankwo Kanu and Okocha taught him.
Arsenal was really impressed with him. Iwobi used that platform to express himself and led his youth team to win trophies. Here is the picture of the former Arsenal Lad alongside his best friend, Chuba Akpom.
Iwobi continued to work tirelessly on improving his game, focusing on adding more end products. “That’s what the top players are known for—scoring goals or creating them,” he explains.
It was the goal he scored against Basel that gave him a confidence boost in the Arsenal team at last. The rest, as they say, is now history.
Alex Iwobi Family Life:
Alex Iwobi comes from a rich family background thanks to their hard work and of course, family ties with Austin Jay Jay Okocha, the ex-Nigerian international.
About Alex Iwobi’s Dad:
Alex Iwobi’s father, Chuba Iwobi, was a footballer who abandoned his low-paying amateur football career to study law in order to care for his family and ensure a long-term future for them.
Did you know?… he is a long-term friend of Leonard Moffi, the father of Super Eagles footballer Terem Moffi. Both played football together and then went to study law at the University of Nigeria, Nsuka.
Today, Iwobi is putting the family name on TV screens across the world with his impressive performances for Arsenal.
Iwobi’s father, Barrister Chuba, is instrumental in his son’s acquaintance with the Nigerian environment and culture.
Alex Iwobi and Father, Barrister Chuba Iwobi.
About Alex Iwobi Mother:
His mother is also Nigerian by origin. She is Austin Jay-Jay Okocha’s sister. Her love for Alex since his childhood is like nothing else in the world.
Indeed, his mother’s heart has been with him right from day one. This is revealed in the picture below.
Young Alex Iwobi and Mother.
About Alex Iwobi Sister:
Alex Iwobi is very close to his sister, Marie. Below is a picture of him, his dad and the ever-beautiful sister Marie.
Marie Iwobi, her brother, Alex and her Father.
He once went to visit her at university, pulling a hood up so as not to draw any special attention.
“I just want to enjoy the time with my sister,” he says. “We are close, we are always together, having a laugh. I’m always trying to take care of her.”
About Alex Iwobi Uncle:
Alex Iwobi is Jay-Jay Okocha’s nephew and is inspired a lot by the retired Nigerian football maestro, who also helped him gain his spot on the Nigerian National team.
Young Alex Iwobi and dhis uncle, Jay Jay Okocha.
He has got his uncle Jay-Jay [Okocha] to look up to as a mentor. However, he still wants to have his own destiny, just like other players.
In his words, ‘I love being Jay-Jay’s nephew, but I want to establish my own identity, I want people to know me as Alex Iwobi and not Alex Iwobi, Jay-Jay’s nephew’, which obviously shows a lot of ambition.
According to a close friend of Iwobi; “I mean, Jay-Jay has been his mentor, he encourages him, he tells him where to go and how to conduct himself.
In the scheme of things, he still wants to have his own identity, just like any other player, so Alex Iwobi is Alex Iwobi.
And I’m glad he’s beginning to assert himself and become Alex Iwobi. With hard work and dedication, he can only get better, and that is the prayer of every parent.”
Alex Iwobi Clarisse Juliette Love Story:
Iwobi has been in a 4-year relationship with his girlfriend Clarisse Juliette, who is a UK-based model.
Alex Iwobi’s Girlfriend- Clarisse Juliette.
The UK-based model once usually gushes about Alex and constantly shares his photos as a sign of showing how much she loves him.
Clarisse Juliette once showcased her boyfriend on social media.
However, things didn’t go well when he celebrated his 21st year birthday. They broke up!!
The former couple deleted each other’s photos from their social media pages. As of the time of writing, they no longer follow each other on Instagram.
Fans noticed a change when Alex celebrated his 21st birthday without a birthday shout-out from Juliet, who was also noticeably absent from the celebration at Alex’s parents’ house in London.
Typically, Alex is known for giving his sister Clarisse a shout-out on her birthday, which falls on May 2nd. This year, however, there was no mention of her.
After Clarisse’s birthday, Juliet posted a video on Snapchat showing herself with some dollar bills and the caption, “You’ll never get your bitch back.”
Iwobi’s ex-girlfriend confirmed breaking up with her man.
She labelled Alex Iwobi ‘a cheater’ due to his alleged infidelity. The one-time big love they have is now all gone.
Alex Iwobi and Clarisse Juliette- The One Time Lovers.
Speaks Pidgin and Understands Igbo:
Iwobi does not speak the Nigerian Igbo language but understands it. He also understands the Nigerian Yoruba language. He, however, speaks good Pidgin English and uses it to communicate with his Nigerian friend.
According to his parents, ‘We think it’s a failing on our part because we could have done a bit more to make him understand Igbo.”
Many Nigerians are happy that Iwobi picked up the universal language, which is ‘Pidgin English’ and he has made an effort to talk to his teammates in it.
In the Nigerian national team, you have Igbo people and Yoruba people, but the universal language is Pidgin. His first encounter with Pidgin was when he was invited to join the Nigerian Under-23s national team.
According to his father, “It’s getting better now, and it’s coming to a stage where he understands every word of Pidgin, but then he’s struggling to put his thoughts into pidgin words.
So he has a fair understanding of Pidgin, and by the time he comes progressively into camp, I’m sure he’s going to get better,” Iwobi’s father told Goal.
Love For Nigerian Foods:
He might have grown up in the United Kingdom as a British Citizen but Iwobi loves Nigerian foods, with his best being Eba and Okra soup and stew fish. His father’s words…
Alex Iwobi’s Favorite Food- Okra, Eba and Stew Fish
“He’ll kill me for this, but Alex’s favourite food is Eba (a staple made with cassava flour) and okra soup made by his mum. These days, he eats all kinds of Nigerian food.”
First Coming to Nigeria:
Having spent most of his life in England, he was astounded by the reaction of Nigerians when he first travelled to the country to represent the Super Eagles.
“Everyone treats you like royalty,” he says with a smile. “When I arrived at the airport, I thought I’d just keep my earphones in and go unnoticed, but instead, everyone was shouting, ‘Iwobi! Iwobi!’ I was stunned. I didn’t know what to expect—it was just crazy.”
Then I started moving with Kelechi Iheanacho, who is a very thick Naija boy. Wherever we go, we get escorted. Because I’m not used to the Nigerian culture as much as they are, he do help me with it. I can’t really speak the language that well.
They help me with the fans. The fans are very different there. They don’t ask me for autographs; they only ask for boots, jerseys and, of course, money.
It is pertinent to note that Kelechi Ihenacho is Alex Iwobi’s best friend. He also has a strong relationship with Ahmed Musa and Mikel Obi. These days, Iwobi appears to be close to all Nigerian football colleagues, including the 2024 AFCON captain of his team, William Troost-Ekong.
Iwobi continued…
“During my debut, we played in a stadium with a 30,000 capacity, but somehow there were 60,000 people there. They were even standing on the floodlights and the scoreboard.
I remember thinking, ‘This isn’t safe at all!’ But people will go to any lengths to watch the match. In the Premier League, the fans can be a bit quiet at times, but in Nigeria, the atmosphere is electric with trumpets and noise everywhere. It’s a completely different experience compared to England.”
Without a doubt, the international scene has been yet another eye-opener in this young career. Iwobi cannot wait to experience more. At the time of updating this Bio, Iwobi, alongside notables like Stanley Nwabali, Kaduna-born Moses Simon, and Lagos-born Victor Osimhen, etc, have made Nigerians proud in the 2023 AFCON.
Alex Iwobi Uncle:
Alex Iwobi has always aspired to follow in the footsteps of his uncle, the legendary Nigerian captain Austin Jay-Jay Okocha.
“He’s a legend in African football, and I know I’ll need to work hard to earn the same kind of positive recognition,” Iwobi said.
Having him as an uncle is certainly inspiring, but I didn’t achieve my status just by being someone’s nephew—I earned my way here. My goal is to secure as many call-ups as possible, play in numerous games, and win many trophies with Nigeria,” Iwobi explained.
Without a doubt, Okocha remains one of the persons who are particularly influential on Iwobi’s career.
According to Iwobi, “We speak every couple of weeks. He does advise me, not just on the pitch but off it too.
Football is a short career, so he always tells me to maintain the lifestyle. He advises me to get businesses and have properties in Nigeria. He always tries to keep me level-headed and to help me plan for the future after football.”
Following in Okocha’s footsteps, Iwobi has chosen to play for Nigeria instead of England.
It is worthy to assert that Iwobi (like Anthony Gordon of Everton) has represented England at the under-16, 17 and 18 levels. He decided to quit the team and serve his father’s land.
Appreciation Note:
Thank you for reading our version of Alex Iwobi’s Biography. Our team of content creators strive for fairness and truthfulness in the quest to deliver Nigerian Football Stories. Iwobi’s Bio is part of the wider collection of our African Football category.
Aside from the Biography of the former Arsenal player, we’ve got other great Nigerian football stories you’ll love. Surely, the Life History of Gift Orban and Faiq Bolkiah will excite your soccer autobiography appetite.
