Nottingham Forest fullback Ola Aina has expressed his admiration for Super Eagles legend Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha, naming him his all-time favorite Nigerian footballer.
Ola Aina disclosed that he had been familiar with Okocha from a young age, due to his close friendship with Alex Iwobi, who is the former Super Eagles captain’s nephew.
‘Jay Jay’ Okocha is revered as one of football’s most skillful players, renowned for his exceptional dribbling and passing skills which earned him a legendary status, cementing his place as an iconic figure in African and global football.
In an interview with Kenny Allstar, Ola Aina wasted no time in selecting Okocha as his all-time favorite Nigerian footballer: ”For me, I’m just gonna go Jay Jay Okocha. One, obviously because he’s a fantastic baller and the second reason is that I grew up with Alex Iwobi, I’ve been seeing Okocha since I was young. He’s his uncle (Iwobi), so he’s my uncle as well.”
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Ola Aina also credited John Terry as the first football idol who he later had the privilege of playing with: ”John Terry, captain, leader, he was serious. He embraced all the up-and-coming ballers into that team, he was good.”
The 28-year-old spoke on Nottingham Forest’s remarkable season, which has seen them reach the FA Cup semi-final for the first time in 34 years while competing for Champions League qualification.
”Before the season started, everyone would have thought Forest would battle relegation again. What I would say though is the team has been fantastic, the hardwork we put in, being together and keeping the vibes up, come win or lose, our vibes are the same and I think that has really helped us,” he said.
Aina described the impact of head coach Nuno Espírito Santo, praising him for his impeccable man-management skills: ”I feel like he knows how to bring himself to that level where he can actually relate with you. There are times he has spoken to me and I’m not looking at him as a coach anymore, he talks like we are equals.”
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