Ola Aina, Nottingham Forest defender
Ola Aina looking forward to playing 3rd AFCON tournament . Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina is excited to compete in his third Africa Cup of Nations for Nigeria, which begins off on January 31 in Ivory Coast, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
The 27-year-old earned his Nigeria debut in an October 2017 World Cup qualifier against Zimbabwe. Since then, he has appeared in 33 games and provided three assists.
He started five of Nigeria’s seven games at the 2019 African Football Confederation (AFCON) in Egypt, where Nigeria finished third.
Aina started three games at the last AFCON in Cameroon, as Nigeria was eliminated in the round of 16 by Tunisia.
Ahead of the next one in January, the full-back expressed optimism about wearing the colours of Nigeria again at the tournament.
“It was great to qualify. Everyone was thrilled to be returning for the tournament. “The support from the fans makes me happy, and I’m just happy to be playing for Nigeria and looking forward to the next one,” Aina told Premier League TV.
Aina explained why he chose to play for Nigeria despite having represented England at the youth level, saying, “It was just a decision I felt I needed to take.” I knew Nigeria was seeking for me, and at the time I hadn’t been playing internationally for various reasons, so I just went with my heart; I wanted to play for Nigeria, and I don’t regret it.”
Apart from Aina’s compatriot Taiwo Awoniyi, who has been ruled out of the AFCON, four other Forest players are also in Nigeria’s group, with Ivory Coast’s Sèrge Aurier and Ibrahim Sangare.
“There’s always a little banter and competition.” It’s nice for the locker room mood, but we’ll see how it goes during the tournament,” Aina remarked.