Ola Aina opens up about missing AFCON with Super Eagles
Ola Aina, a defender for Nottingham Forest, has spoken about the difficulty of watching the Super Eagles play in the Africa Cup of Nations while being sidelined. He was initially included in Nigeria’s provisional squad but missed out on the final selection due to injury. Aina expressed mixed emotions, feeling both happy for his teammates’ success and disappointed not to be part of it. He praised the team's performance and shared his hope for their continued success.
Match highlights
- Ola Aina was omitted from Nigeria’s final 28-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, which began on December 21, 2025.
- He had been sidelined since September 2025 due to a hamstring injury sustained on international duty.
- Although Aina returned to training in November, his club coach delayed his comeback, ruling him out of the tournament.
- In his absence, Bright Osayi-Samuel and Ryan Alebiosu filled in at right-back for the Super Eagles.
- Aina returned to competitive action on Saturday, January 3, after a three-month injury lay-off and has since played in two Premier League matches.
