Nigerian defender, Ola Aina has slammed Torino fans for their hostile reception during a Coppa Italia first-round clash with Cremonese on Sunday, claiming “haters will only make me better”.
He made his debut appearance for Torino since returning from a loan spell at Fulham in 2020-21 as they won via penalties at Stadio Olimpico Grande.
The 24-year-old former Chelsea star was whistled and jeered at by the home fans for the entire duration, as the defender took to social media to express his frustrations after the game.
“To all the Torino fans that were booing or whistling whenever I got the ball tonight, THANK YOU. Doubter and haters WILL only make me better, we move. As a club, we should always stay together no matter what,” Aina wrote on his official Twitter account.
The Nigerian full-back later deleted the post, and Torino have yet to comment publicly on the incident.
Aina began his career at Chelsea back in 2015, having spent the previous eight years in the club’s youth system. He struggled for regular minutes, and went on loan to Hull City before Torino came calling in 2018.
The Italian club brought Aina in on loan before signing him on a permanent deal after an impressive debut season in Serie A, with the Blues receiving a £9 million fee.
The Nigerian international has since appeared in 69 games across all competitions for Torino, recording one goal and six assists, but was loaned to Fulham last year.
In the English Premier League, Aina made 31 appearances for the Cottagers, who ultimately suffered relegation to the Championship, before returning to Stadio Olimpico Grande to see out the remaining two years of his contract.
