Nottingham Forest FC defender Ola Aina has celebrated his maiden Premier League Player of the Match award following an outstanding performance in Forest’s goalless draw with Fulham FC.
The Nigeria national football team international was recognised for his impressive display during Sunday afternoon’s 0–0 draw at the City Ground in the Premier League.
Aina delivered a solid defensive performance, finishing the match with four tackles and four duels won, the highest in the encounter. The 29-year-old also registered 10 clearances, three recoveries and one interception, underlining his influence at the back for Forest.
The former Chelsea FC player also came close to scoring in the second half, but his effort struck the woodwork as both sides settled for a point.
Aina later celebrated the individual recognition on his official Snapchat story, posting a photo of himself holding the award with the caption: “1st ever one.”
The full-back has now made 14 league appearances for Nottingham Forest this season, contributing one assist in the campaign so far.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
