By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria defender Ola Aina has revealed that former Chelsea teammates John Obi Mikel and Victor Moses, along with childhood friend Alex Iwobi, played a key role in his decision to commit his international future to Nigeria rather than England.
Aina, who was eligible to play for both countries, said his choice was guided by his Nigerian heritage and the lack of recent opportunities with England. “I’ll always say I’m Nigerian as well,” he said.
“When I heard about the interest from Nigeria, I just jumped at it because playing international football is a big thing, no matter who it’s for. It’s a massive thing on your CV, and Nigeria is a massive nation,” he added.
The defender acknowledged that the presence of familiar faces in the Super Eagles camp made the transition easier.
“Having people like Mikel, Victor Moses, and Alex Iwobi already there made it feel right. It gave me confidence that I was making the right decision.”
Since making the switch, Aina has become a regular feature in Nigeria’s national team setup.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
