For Ola Aina, choosing the Super Eagles over England's Three Lions was less of a romantic homecoming and more of a practical career decision.
The Nottingham Forest fullback, speaking on The Rest is Football podcast with Gary Lineker, explained that being overlooked by England for close to two years pushed him towards Nigeria.
“Family connection, that’s my origin, so, I’ll always say I’m Nigerian as well,” he began, before pulling back the curtain on the circumstances of his switch.
“At the time when I knew they were interested, for me to play for Nigeria, it was sort of a no-brainer for me because I hadn’t been playing international football for England for almost two seasons. For what reasons, I don’t know why, but I hadn’t played.”
Ola Aina’s Super Eagles switch driven by England snub
Aina, now 28, was a fixture in England’s youth teams but found his international progression stalling. With Nigeria knocking, the decision, in his words, was obvious.
“When I found out there was interest, I just jumped at it because playing international football is still a big thing, doesn’t matter who it is for. It’s massive thing on the CV and it’s Nigeria as well, massive nation.”
That line “doesn’t matter who it is for” might sting for some Nigerian fans. But it captures the cold reality of international football, opportunity often trumps sentiment.
The Chelsea Academy graduate also pointed to the influence of familiar faces in the Super Eagles dressing room.
“And my friend was there at the time, John Obi Mikel, Victor Moses was there, Alex Iwobi was there, so I just felt right.”
Since making his debut in 2017, Aina has become a regular for Nigeria, racking up 46 caps and playing in three major tournaments. But the door only opened when another one shut.
