Super Eagles news: Ola Aina reveals the truth about playing for Nigeria – “You get mad”

Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina has revealed that playing for the Super Eagles can be intensely demanding due to the massive weight of expectations, Soccernet.ng reports.

​Aina, 29, has been a Super Eagles regular since making his debut under former coach Gernot Rohr in 2017.

​Born in London, he could have represented England and featured for the Young Lions across various youth levels. However, he eventually opted to switch his international allegiance to Nigeria. At the time, his senior international prospects with the Three Lions looked slim as he fought for stability while bouncing between Chelsea and multiple loan spells.

​Over the last nine years, he has established himself as Nigeria's premier fullback, although recurring injuries and club commitments have often limited his appearances. In fact, before last Friday's 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Madagascar, Aina had not featured for the Super Eagles in over a year.

​While in camp, the London-born defender dropped the latest episode of his personal vlog on YouTube, sharing behind-the-scenes glimpses into his club routine and personal life. During the video, Aina opened up about the emotional demands of donning the green and white, admitting that while the experience is exhilarating, fan expectations are through the roof.

​”Playing for Nigeria is exciting. It's exciting, but at the same time, the expectations in Nigeria are just mad,” Aina said.

​”It's not only from Nigeria, though. It's all of Africa—African giants for a reason. Because it's the whole continent watching, the expectations are always through the roof.

​”Nigerians want to see good football. We could win games, but if we're not winning in good fashion, they start getting onto us. Obviously, when we win, they're happy, but they want to be entertained.

​”I hear it; that's the way it's been for decades. But sometimes you just need to get the job done without necessarily putting on a show. The expectations make it hard sometimes, but it's part of the game.”

​Aina delivered a solid performance during the win against Madagascar, though he watched the subsequent clash against Guinea-Bissau from the bench.

​Do Super Eagles Fans Really Expect Too Much?

​While Aina's perspective is understandable, it does not tell the full story. Many Nigerian fans simply believe that given the caliber of talent within the squad, the Super Eagles should consistently perform at a high level. Yet time and again, the team has underwhelmed.

​Yesterday's shocking 3–0 defeat to a Guinea-Bissau side ranked 106 places below them on the FIFA charts stands out as one of the most humiliating results in the nation's history.

​This collapse follows their failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In a qualifying group containing Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Benin, Nigeria repeatedly dropped cheap points — and even when handed a lifeline through the continental playoffs, they fell flat.

​In recent years, the Super Eagles have given supporters very little to cheer about. Rather than fans expecting too much, the team has simply delivered far too little.