By Monsurah Olatunji
Nigeria defender Ola Aina has revealed that he wishes England internationals Marcus Rashford and Bukayo Saka had opted to play for Nigeria.
In a recent interview with ESPN UK, Aina, who was born in London to Nigerian parents, was asked which dual-nationality players he would have liked to see don the green and white of the Super Eagles.
Without hesitation, the Nottingham Forest full-back named Rashford and Saka.
“Saka or Rashford. Rashford has mad dynamics—quick and direct—and we play direct in the Super Eagles, so I think Rashford would be a good addition,” Aina said.
Aina, a product of Chelsea’s academy, represented England at various youth levels before switching allegiance to Nigeria.
He made his senior debut for the Super Eagles in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Zambia, coming on as a late substitute.
Since then, the 27-year-old has become a mainstay in the Nigerian national team, earning 46 caps and featuring in multiple Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
While Saka, whose parents are Nigerian, chose to represent his country of birth, he has publicly embraced his heritage and visited Nigeria on several occasions.
Rashford, meanwhile, is of Caribbean descent and remains an integral part of the England squad.
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.
