The amazing emergence of Fulham of England defender, Ola Aina as winner of the English Premier League best goal of the month award for November has sent bolts of excitement through the rank and file of his colleagues in Nigeria’s national team, Super Eagles, megasportsarena.com reports.
While the lad on loan from AS Torino of Italy is still basking in the euphoria of the accolade he was confirmed with earlier this week, his teammates and other Nigerian players are raining congratulations of the dark-skinned former Chelsea and Hull City of England full-back.
Indeed, Aina created several historic marks in getting named winner of the EPL best goal for last month, as he became the first player with a Nigerian passport to win the diadem since the award was introduced for the 2016/17 season.
Aina’s spectacular strike against West Bromwich Albion on November 2was considered better than equally breathtaking goals from Crystal Palace’s Nigerian-born ace, Eberechi Eze, as well as Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy, Southampton duo of Danny Ings and James Ward-Prowse, Brighton’s Solly March and Leeds United’s Raphinha.
The winning goal came early in the game versus Semi Ajayi’s WBA at Craven Cottage, where Aina doubled Fulham’s advantage with a wonder-strike into the top corner for his first ever EPL goal and on his seventh appearance in the English top-flight league.
Aina, whose goal was chosen by a panel of experts combined with a public vote, becomes the third Fulham player ever to win the Premier League Goal of the Month gong, after Jean Michael Seri won the prize for August 2018 and Andre Schurrle got that for January 2019.
Only Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have had more winners of the prestigious prize, while Aina’s feat has been described as all the more impressive since this is just Fulham’s second season back in what is largely regarded as the world’s most glamorous domestic league competition.
He also becomes the first Super Eagles’ player to scoop the award, hence the glee that erupted among his pals, with the roll call led by two central defenders, Leon Aderemi Balogun from Glasgow Rangers of Scotland and William Troost-Ekong from Watford of England.
They both took to social to congratulate Aina and state hope for even better things to come for the 24-year-old full-back, who starred for England at youth national team level before switching ellegiance to play for Nigeria at senior level in 2017.
In response, Aina, who linked up with Bobby De Cordova-Reid and Aleksandar Mitrovic before firing a ferocious shot into the top-left corner from outside the penalty area, acknowledged how pretty his effort was on the historic date.
Aina concluded: “It was a good strike! It came on to my left and I just felt comfortable to strike it as hard as I could. It was good for the team. It lifted our spirits and we’ll try to build on that.”
