Burna Boy, Vinicius, Jaylen Brown discuss coming to Nigeria
August 19, 2026 12:45 pm
Burna Boy and Vinicius jr. CREDIT: ESPN UK
Afrobeat singer, Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has revealed that Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior and NBA star Jaylen Brown are members of a group chat where they recently discussed visiting Nigeria.
Burna Boy disclosed this in an interview with ESPN UK, posted on its YouTube channel on Tuesday.
The Grammy-winning singer said the three celebrities belong to what they call their “Seven group chat”.
“Now we have a 7 team. It’s me, Vini, and I don’t know if you know Jaylen Brown,” Burna Boy said.
When the interviewer confirmed that Brown is an NBA player, the singer replied, “Yeah, that’s our Seven group chat.”
Asked what they discuss in the group, Burna Boy said their recent conversation centred on bringing the two sports stars to Nigeria.
“It’s a lot of things. The last conversation we had is bringing all of them to Nigeria,” he said.
The singer also spoke about his football academy in Nigeria, saying he was inspired to establish it after watching a documentary about community football in Jamaica.
He said he wanted young footballers from the academy to eventually play for clubs such as Manchester United.
“So I just started throwing my money at it,” Burna Boy said.
Burna Boy also discussed his relationship with several sports stars, including former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba and England captain Harry Kane.
He said he met Pogba at his 30th birthday celebration in the United States after the former France international surprised him by showing up at his house.
On Kane, Burna Boy said they met while the singer was attending his uncle’s birthday dinner.
“We just ran into him having dinner. And, yeah, just dragged him to the party,” he said.
The singer also identified former Nigeria international Austin “Jay-Jay” Okocha as his football GOAT, saying the former Bolton Wanderers midfielder had not received enough recognition for his influence on the game.
“Obviously Jay-Jay Okocha, and I’ll tell you why,” Burna Boy said.
“Because I feel like he—he hasn’t gotten the flowers that he deserves. You feel me? I feel like his name should be called in the leagues of, like, the—the legends’ legends.”
Burna Boy further argued that Okocha’s name should be mentioned ahead of Brazilian legend Ronaldinho among the game’s greatest players.
“I think you should even call Jay-Jay Okocha’s name before you call Ronaldinho,” he said.
Saheed is a journalist at Punch Newspapers with over two years of experience covering metro, technology, sports, politics, and human-interest stories. He focuses on producing clear, engaging reports across diverse beats. Saheed’s work reflects hands-on newsroom experience and a commitment to accurate and balanced journalism.
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