‘I was there four years’ - Ola Aina opens up on racial abuse during stint in Italy

The Super Eagles star started his career at Chelsea at the age of 11 but later left for the Italian Serie A.

In 2018, Aina joined Italian side Torino on a season-long loan from Chelsea and made 30 appearances.

His impressive season led to Torino signing the defender permanently for a reported fee of £9 million.

Aina has emphasised that he never experienced any racial abuse during his four years at Torino.

Speaking to Layo's Choice, Aina said, "When that opportunity came around I was a bit hesitant to go but I always wanted to play in Italy. It's just one of those countries that I just wanted to play there so it sort of made sense.

"The first year, I remember we were getting one day off, I was flying direct back to London for one day. 

“I was doing that for the whole season just because obviously I'm so close to my family. It was an experience I don't think I would ever regret.

"I was there four years, I didn't get one racist comment. I didn't receive any hate, people around me were getting hate from other teams, but by God's grace I didn't receive anything."

Meanwhile, this season, Aina has been outstanding for Nottingham Forest, most notably helping his team defeat Tottenham 1-0.