Nottingham Forest defender Ola Aina has criticized former Super Eagles head coach Gernot Rohr for excluding him from Nigeria's 2018 FIFA World Cup squad.

Rohr handed Aina his international debut in 2017 after the Chelsea academy product committed his international future to Nigeria.

Aina made his first appearance as a late substitute in a crucial World Cup qualifier against Zambia, where Nigeria secured a narrow 1–0 victory to book their spot at the tournament.

Despite being heavily involved in the qualifying campaign, Aina was among the final two players dropped as Rohr announced his 23-man squad for the Mundial.

The former Torino defender also featured in the Super Eagles squad that missed out on qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, losing the playoff ticket to rivals Ghana.

Now, Aina faces another potential World Cup setback, as Nigeria sits six points behind South Africa in Group C with four matches remaining in the qualifiers.

Reflecting on his 2018 omission, Aina blames Rohr for the snub and voiced his strong desire to represent Nigeria at the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.

“I got shenked in 2018. That manager (Rohr) shenked me—I was supposed to go, but he did rubbish,” Aina said via the @90sBabyShow.

“Then obviously we didn’t qualify in 2022. So this 2026, I’m putting all my energy into it. I need to go because if not, I think my World Cup dream is over."

“I’ll be too old, and I’m not trying to take someone else’s spot. It’s in the US—I need to be there. There are four games left, and we need to win them all."

“This 2026 World Cup—I need to be there. I think we can do it.”

WDN