Famous Nigerian singer, Azeez Adeshina Fashola (Naira Marley), has revealed that he used to play for the Arsenal youth team, Millwall and Charlton while growing up in London, United Kingdom.
Speaking with Cool FM Nigeria in Lagos on Thursday, July 20, Marley said he would have chosen football as a career.
The Afrobeat singer disclosed that the environment where he grew up made it easy for him to blend with the Nigerian style after he returned from London.
He said his father influenced his fluency in the Yoruba language as a child.
The Inside Life crooner revealed: “What made it easy for me [to blend with Nigerian street music] is that I grew up in South-East London, Peckham to be precise. That is like small Lagos, you know what I mean?
“And all my life in England, my dad banned speaking English in the house. So, we had to speak Yoruba and all this Yoruba stuff. I still listen to Fuji.
“We eat African foods. Even though I’m in England, it was like I’m still in Nigeria. Yeah, it was easy for me. When I came back [to Nigeria], people didn’t really know I came from London.
“I could have been a footballer too; I used to play for Arsenal Youth, Millwall, Charlton.”
