ALEX IWOBI was held by his uncle’s team-mate and Ballon d’Or king Ronaldinho as a child.
Now he is hoping to hold aloft a major trophy for his country – and level up his family bragging rights.
Brazil icon Ronaldinho won the Copa America in 1999 and then played a pivotal role in the Selecao’s 2002 World Cup triumph.
That success came at the end of the 2001-02 season, his first with Paris Saint-Germain.
Also in the PSG squad that year were Mikel Arteta, Mauricio Pochettino, Nicolas Anelka, Gabriel Heinze and Jay-Jay Okocha, Iwobi’s maternal uncle.
Ronaldinho and Okocha only had one season together in France as the latter joined Bolton in 2002.
But as Iwobi – born in May 1996 – has only just found out, he spent time as a youngster hanging out with one of football’s great entertainers.
The Fulham winger, 29, revealed to SunSport: “What was mad was that I was in Barcelona and I saw Ronaldinho.
“I said to my mum, ‘I see Ronaldinho.’
“And she was like, ‘You know that he held you as a baby when he played for PSG with your uncle?’
“She even showed me a picture.”
Okocha earned Premier League cult hero status with four years at Bolton, with Iwobi able to watch and take inspiration to one day follow in his footsteps.
The pair are very close and in regular contact – but the uncle tends to avoid giving his nephew advice on his football.
But Iwobi may well turn to Okocha ahead of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations as he desperately tries to become the second member of the family to lift the trophy for Nigeria.
Okocha’s side came from behind against Zambia in the 1994 to win the second of the Super Eagles’ three Afcon crowns.
Iwobi and Co suffered heartache last year, beating hosts Ivory Coast in the group stages before losing to the same opponents in the final.
Now the focus is on going one step further on January 18 in Rabat, Morocco.
Iwobi – whose Project 17 charity hosted their P17 football tournament on Sunday raising awareness for ACLT, a life-saving organisation working to increase the number of blood, stem cell and organ donors from the black community – said: “Of course, he can’t be the only one having bragging rights. I need to have one up against him.
“So hopefully, at Afcon, I can have the opportunity to do so.
“We want to improve and do better than last time The only way to do that is to win it.
“Last year, we were so close. What hurts the most is that we beat the hosts and winners in our group.
“Hopefully this year will be our year. There’s a lot of big names, big countries in the competition.
“We believe we’ve got the players to do so. It would make leaving the Premier League even sweeter.
“With Uncle, I was a bit upset because he played in Baller League but I wasn’t able to go because I was on holiday.
“We are always in touch and laughing. He messages me all the time but hardly about football. It’s just normally on my well-being, how I’m doing.
“He treats me with so much respect and I have so much respect for him.
“He expressed himself by playing with a smile on his face so he told me to literally go on the pitch, do the same and enjoy my football.”
Some people rest… even when I’m tired, I’ll find energy somewhere to go and play football
Alex Iwobi
Should Nigeria go all the way to the final of Afcon and qualify for the World Cup – they are currently fourth in Group C with four matches to go – Iwobi could in theory play as many as 60 matches for club and country in 2025-26.
For those who played in Euro 2024, the current Club World Cup and next summer’s World Cup – especially in the extreme heat – there are concerns of burnout, injuries and the quality of football diminishing.
But not from Iwobi.
Asked if he shares those fears, he simply said: “No.
“Obviously, some people rest. Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved playing football.
“Whenever there’s a kick-around or a game of two-touch with friends, I go.
“Whenever I can play football, I’m not one to complain.
“Even when I’m tired, I’ll find energy somewhere to go and play football. But that’s just me. Some people will see it differently.”
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