‘He makes us laugh every day': What Aina's team-mates say about Nottingham Forest full-back

New York Times

01-05-2025

Even amid a remarkable season at Nottingham Forest, Ola Aina has provided as many memorable moments as anyone.
Happily carrying Callum Hudson-Odoi down the tunnel after the final whistle, when his team-mate had picked up a knock. Getting a piggy back himself, from manager Nuno Espirito Santo, after telling him he was simply too tired to walk, following the FA Cup win over Ipswich.
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He is regularly one of the last men off the City Ground pitch — and he is often dancing, along with Anthony Elanga and Hudson-Odoi, when he does finally depart. He has frequently been pulled into a bear hug by the man he fondly calls 'big boss man', Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis, when he gets into the tunnel.
He gently but persistently teased Hudson-Odoi in the canteen at the Nigel Doughty Academy, by telling him his colourful outfit made him look like a Teletubby, saying: 'They call him Tinky Winky', while humming the TV show's theme tune. At the recent launch of a new football pitch at the Chetwynd Spencer school in Nottingham, Aina happily spent far longer than was expected of him, simply having a kickaround with a delighted group of kids.
He recorded Nuno dancing, in the aftermath of the recent victory over Manchester City, while offering the dressing-room commentary 'Go on, boss' — and then posting the video on social media. Prompting his manager to jokingly respond: 'That is a problem… I need to address that with him!'
My gaffer #nffc pic.twitter.com/JwhJZCc1jS
— Joshua Eastwood (@JoshuaNFFC10) March 8, 2025
Aina is one of the biggest characters in the Nottingham Forest dressing room. You can normally hear his laugh before you see him. His social media offers a colourful window into that world. But he is also one of the most valuable figures within it.
'He is exactly like that in real life. Do you want to know what it is like at the training ground? Just follow him on social media. It is exactly like that. What he shows you is how it is every day,' team-mate Neco Williams tells The Athletic. 'But he is like that off-camera as well. That is how he is; that is just him. He is so bubbly, so friendly. That is just him.
'You need players like him in a dressing room. He is the joker, he is the one who makes us laugh every day. You need a good mix and we have that; we have a proper mix of characters. Ola is the fun, outgoing one who will make people laugh. You just always see him smiling. I don't think I have seen him without a smile very often at all.'
Ola Aina loves to annoy Callum Hudson-Odoi 😂 #football #nottinghamforest #PremierLeague #olaaina #elanga #hudsonodoi #cho #dressingroom #funny #fashion
♬ original sound – Footballer Fits
Aina's value to Forest is about far more than just his bubbly personality, however. He has also established himself as one of the most important players in their ranks. Precisely how important he has been has only been underlined by his recent absence from the side, with a calf problem. Forest hope he will return to face Brentford tonight.
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The back four of Aina, Nikola Milenkovic, Murillo and Neco Williams has been one of the foundations on which Forest's push for a top-five finish has been built. There has been one notable change from last season, with Aina and Williams swapping flanks — something Nuno insists was unplanned; something decided by fate, rather than design.
'The manager chooses the positions he thinks will get the best out of you. For me, it definitely has this season,' Williams tells The Athletic. 'We are both flexible, we can both play either side. But wherever I play, I just enjoy playing in this side. I think he does too.'
Aina's pace and directness have been integral to the counter-attack identity Nuno has given Forest. Their strengths have never been better personified than in the goal that sank Manchester City 1-0 at the City Ground in March. Aina made a timely challenge, winning the ball back and getting Forest on the front foot, Morgan Gibbs-White, so often the team's creative heart, sent a brilliant pass out to the right side to pick out Hudson-Odoi — and he fired home emphatically.
'He has been amazing. Ola has been amazing. He has had some huge moments, a good work ethic, good discipline… that is too much credit already,' said Nuno, in a recent press conference. 'We have been missing Ola, especially because of the stability of the back four we had. I don't know how many times we had the same players — that's crucial, especially in defence.'
Aina is one of those players who inspires confidence when he finds himself in a one-v-one situation; he knows he has the pace to get out of trouble. His ability to turn defence into attack with that same speed is just as important — his 54 progressive carries this season are only bettered by Gibbs-White (63), Elanga (79) and Hudson-Odoi (126).
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Former Forest captain Michael Dawson played with Aina when he was on loan at Hull City, from Chelsea, in 2017-18. Aina made 42 starts and two sub appearances in the Championship — and impressed Dawson in the process.
'His physical attributes were at the top level,' Dawson tells The Athletic. 'He could get up and down that right side all day, he would never stop. He always had that high-energy, high-tempo approach to things. It was obvious back then that he was never going to struggle with that. He had that naturally.
'He was a brilliant player for Hull, even if the one question was always whether he would be able to perform consistently at a higher level… he has gone on to do exactly that. His concentration is so good, he can stay focused for entire games. In one-v-one situations he is so, so good. He can keep his discipline. When you watch him now, you can see the areas where he has gone on to another level. He can deliver balls into dangerous areas. His reading of the game is excellent.
While Dawson was mentor to Aina at Hull, the 28-year-old Nigeria international is now one of the mentors to the younger players in the Forest dressing room.
'Ola has a knack of getting everyone involved in the dressing room, including the younger lads. He has a way of making you feel part of things,' says 18-year-old defender Zach Abbott, who made his second start for Forest — at right-back — in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
'He starts up our play, feeding the ball into the midfielders and the wingers. He has a wide range of passing… he is capable of being really expansive. I know I am a central defender but I see no reason why I cannot learn from him as well.
'He is as big a character as he seems from the outside. But he has involved me very quickly in things. He has the type of personality that brings more out of people like me as well. His energy… you can just feel it. You can mainly feel that when he is not there. You realise how much he brings to the place when he is not around.'
Nuno Espírito Santo 😅#ITVFootball | #EmiratesFACup. pic.twitter.com/t1m5w1bfFj
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 3, 2025
Forest skipper Ryan Yates is not a fan of social media. But he is a fan of what he sees in Aina on a daily basis.
'I stay off social media, because I know what a rollercoaster it is. But you have to have different personalities in the dressing room. That is one of the things that makes this group so special,' he says. 'We all have the common goal of putting the team first. That is one of the things that Ola does as much as anyone — he puts the team first.'
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A one-year extension clause in Aina's contract has been activated now Forest have avoided relegation. Despite that security, Forest remain keen to agree a longer-term deal with Aina making 30 Premier League starts this season and scoring two goals — including a screamer of a strike in the 3-0 win over West Ham at the City Ground last November.
Dawson recently visited the Forest training ground and says Aina has not changed since he played alongside him.
'He was a lively character back then. He was always joking around. He was the same guy that you see now, when he dances his way off the pitch,' says Dawson. 'It is great to see him somewhere where… it looks as though he has found a home for himself.'