Alex Iwobi’s rise to prominence has been one of the highlights of the past 12 months for Arsenal but his career trajectory was so nearly very different.

Iwobi’s family relocated to London in 2000 — four years after his birth — leaving behind the sprawling south-western coastal city of Lagos in Nigeria. By the time he was six, Iwobi had been spotted playing for Rippleway FC alongside Chuba Akpom and went on trial with Arsenal before joining the academy on schoolboy terms when turning nine.

Iwobi graduated through the ranks at Hale End but his path was far from smooth.

“I was almost released at 14, again at 16 and just about got a professional contract after that,” he told Standard Sport.

“Especially at 14, I thought I was very close to not making it. It was stressful as I was going through school, trying to balance that and make sure I was still signed for Arsenal. It was really difficult for me.

“We usually found out in December who might be kept on but I kept on getting the question ‘is he good enough?’ So they extended it to see if I could do something and it went to March and then April. Luckily I did enough.

“At 16 I got the option to leave but I always felt at home at Arsenal and that was where I wanted to be. At 16, there were a lot of good players, a few internationals in the team at a young age so it was difficult for me to stand out in the games. They always want the best and I wasn’t really up there at that age. The fact that I kept getting chances makes me feel lucky.”

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FA Cup: Fourth Round



Uefa Cup: First Round Stu Forster/Allsport/Getty Images 3/23 1997/98: Wenger at the double Arsenal win the double in Wenger’s first season in charge, following their 1971 success



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FA Cup: Winners



Champions League: Round of 16 Adam Davy/PA 23/23 2017/18: The end A slow start in the Premier League only got worse in the new year, where Arsenal lost all of their first eight Premier League games on the road. With the top four slipping further away Wenger announced he would leave at the end of what ended up as his worst season at the club.



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FA Cup: Third Round



League Cup: Finalists



Europa League: Semi-finals PA 1/23 The Arsene Wenger years... Ian MacNicol/Getty Images 2/23 1996/97: Wenger takes over at Highbury After much speculation Arsenal appoint Wenger, their first manager from outside the UK



Premier League: Third



FA Cup: Fourth Round



Uefa Cup: First Round Stu Forster/Allsport/Getty Images 3/23 1997/98: Wenger at the double Arsenal win the double in Wenger’s first season in charge, following their 1971 success



Premier League: Champions



FA Cup: Winners



Uefa Cup: First round Ben Radford/Allsport/Getty Images 4/23 1998/99: So close but Man United taste glory Wenger ends the season trophyless after twice being pipped by Alex Ferguson



Premier League: Second



FA Cup: Semi Finals



Champions League: Group stage Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images 5/23 1999/00: Off the pace Arsenal finish well behind Manchester United in the league and exit Europe at the hands of Fiorentina



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FA Cup: Fourth Round



Champions League: Group stage Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images 6/23 2000/01: Cup final heartbreak Michael Owen strikes late to end their FA Cup dreams but the signing of Robert Pires heralds a bright new era for Arsenal



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FA Cup: Finalists



Champions League: Quarter final Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images 7/23 2001/02: Double double Wenger wins his second league and cup double as Arsenal win their last 13 league games



Premier League: Winners



FA Cup: Winners



Champions League: Second group stage Shaun Botterill/Getty Images 8/23 2002/03: Cup no consolation Man United overhaul Arsenal in a season where the FA Cup is not enough for this side



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FA Cup: Winners



Champions League: Second group stage John Peters/Manchester United/Getty Images 9/23 2003/04: Invincibles Arsenal go unbeaten throughout a league season, the first side to do so since the 1880s



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FA Cup: Semi-finals



Champions League: Quarter finals Arsenal FC via Getty Images 10/23 2004/05: End of an era Arsenal win the FA Cup in Patrick Vieira’s final season while Chelsea emerge as their new rivals



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FA Cup: Winners



Champions League: Round of 16 Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images 11/23 2005/06: Highbury farewell Arsenal nearly crown their last season at Highbury with victory in the Champions League but are forced to settle for runners-up to Barcelona and Wenger’s lowest league finish



Premier League: Fourth



FA Cup: Fourth Round



Champions League: Finalists Shaun Botterill/Getty Images 12/23 2006/07: Hard times ahead In his final season at the club Thierry Henry led a youthful side to a creditable fourth place but the gap to Chelsea and Manchester United seemed to be growing



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FA Cup: Fifth Round



League Cup: Finalists



Champions League: Round of 16 Clive Mason/Getty Images 13/23 2007/08: Injuries cost the Gunners A horrifying leg break for Eduardo against Birmingham in February curtailed a season that had seen Arsenal challenge for the title



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FA Cup: Fifth Round



Champions League: Quarter finals Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images 14/23 2008/09: Spending big again Samir Nasri and Andrey Arshavin arrived in big money deals but a poor start left Arsenal well off the pace domestically



Premier League: Fourth



FA Cup: Semi finals



Champions League: Semi finals Alex Livesey/Getty Images 15/23 2009/10: Progress stalled An impressive squad was hampered by injuries to the likes of Robin van Persie, Tomas Rosicky and Cesc Fabregas as success continued to elude Wenger



Premier League: Third



FA Cup: Fourth Round



Champions League: Quarter finals Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images 16/23 2010/11: Birmingham Blues Six years without a trophy became seven as a calamitous mix-up between Laurent Koscielny and Wojciech Szczesny saw Birmingham win the League Cup final



Premier League: Fourth



FA Cup: Sixth Round



League Cup: Finalists



Champions League: Round of 16 Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images 17/23 2011/12: Van The Man Robin van Persie provides excitement on his way to 37 goals and the Golden Boot before departing for Manchester United in the summer.



Premier League: Third



FA Cup: Fifth Round



Champions League: Round of 16 David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images 18/23 2012/13: Earning their Spurs Arsenal hauled in their local rivals, cutting a seven point gap in 10 games, to secure their customary Champions League spot



Premier League: Fourth



FA Cup: Fifth Round



Champions League: Round of 16 Ian MacNicol/AFP/Getty Images 19/23 2013/14: World-class talent brings trophies back The arrival of Mesut Ozil brought excitement to the Emirates and a season that saw Arsenal mount a major title challenge ended with an FA Cup trophy



Premier League: Fourth



FA Cup: Winners



Champions League: Round of 16 Shaun Botterill/Getty Images 20/23 2014/15: Further progress on and off the pitch Alexis Sanchez added more world class talent but Arsenal were once more forced to settle for cup and not league success



Premier League: Third



FA Cup: Winners



Champions League: Round of 16 David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images 21/23 2015/16: By a nose Arsenal disappointed in the title race as Leicester held their nerve for a stunning triumph, but there was late joy for the Gunners as they celebrated St Totteringham's Day due to Spurs' late collapse.



Premier League: Second



FA Cup: Fifth Round



Champions League: Round of 16 David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images 22/23 2016/17: The toughest season yet Wenger faced fan mutiny as his side failed to keep pace with the top six. Though as ever they turned it around in the closing months of the season it was too little too late as they fell short of the top four for the first time in the Frenchman's reign.



An FA Cup win over Chelsea eased the pressure somewhat as Wenger and the Arsenal board agreed a two-year deal to keep the Frenchman in charge.



Premier League: Fifth



FA Cup: Winners



Champions League: Round of 16 Adam Davy/PA 23/23 2017/18: The end A slow start in the Premier League only got worse in the new year, where Arsenal lost all of their first eight Premier League games on the road. With the top four slipping further away Wenger announced he would leave at the end of what ended up as his worst season at the club.



Premier League: Sixth



FA Cup: Third Round



League Cup: Finalists



Europa League: Semi-finals PA

Iwobi has barely looked back. His first-team debut came at Sheffield Wednesday last year and it says something about his rapid progression that whereas that first appearance came in the League Cup, less than a year later Iwobi found himself rested for Arsenal’s outing in the competition at Nottingham Forest to preserve him for last weekend’s visit of Chelsea.

“That sounds crazy when you put it like that,” he said. “I actually wanted to play against Nottingham Forest because I want to play in every game. I was a bit shocked by the fact that he [Arsene Wenger] told me to rest because I thought I still have my point to prove in every game.

“I don’t even look at how far I’ve come. I wouldn’t say I’m in a daze right now but I’m just enjoying it as it comes and whatever happens, happens.”

Advice is close at hand. While Wenger has kept an eye on Iwobi from a young age, the 20-year-old’s uncle, Jay-Jay Okocha, is regularly available to ensure he stays grounded.

“He was around my house the other day and we message each other quite a bit,” said Iwobi.

“When I was growing up, he helped me a lot on the pitch. He gave me game advice a lot but the older I am getting, he is helping me off the pitch more so I can be professional and focus on the football.”

Iwobi was speaking at the launch of EA SPORTS FIFA 17 but his public engagements are few and far between, choosing to shun the celebrity lifestyle with its nightclubs and adulation that has consumed many talents before him.

“My uncle has been there and done all of that so he knows what it is like,” said Iwobi. “He’s always telling me what could happen, what you are about to face. He always says ‘concentrate on the football first — the rest is just luxury stuff that comes with it’.

“And I know if I am not doing well on the pitch, all of the rest will go.

“He is advising me on making sure that after my career finishes, I am comfortable and I can help out my family.

“I wouldn’t say I am one of the guys who likes to show off — I like to do my thing quietly but I am proud to be where I am today.”

He has become an integral part of Arsenal’s first-team set-up to the extent Wenger blocked Iwobi’s participation for Nigeria at the Olympic Games in Brazil earlier this summer. Iwobi opted to represent the country of his birth despite having played for England at Under-16, Under-17 and Under-18s level and could have been part of the Nigeria squad which finished with a bronze medal in Rio de Janeiro.

“I would like to have played in the Olympics — doing that would have been a big thing for me,” he said.

“If I had gone, I would have missed a couple of Arsenal games at least and the boss didn’t want that.

“I wish I did go but at the end of the day I did what the boss wanted and I am happy to be where I am. If I hadn’t gone, I might not be where I am now.”

Shortly after that decision, Iwobi took another symbolic step forward, trading the No45 shirt for No17, formerly worn by Alexis Sanchez.

“We were on a summer break and I was just chilling at home,” he said. “I got a message saying, ‘Alex, you may have to change your number as No45 is a youth team number’.

“They gave me options and I thought I would like to pick 17 because I heard Alexis was moving to No7 so I thought ‘let me write my own legacy with No17’.

“It doesn’t have any significance — it is just a number I like and I want to start my own thing with it.”

He is on the right track now.

Iwobi was speaking at the launch of EA SPORTS FIFA 17, out this Thursday on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and all other formats. To find out more visit easports.com/uk/fifa #FIFA17