Nigerian music star, Naira Marley, has revealed that he could have become a professional footballer if he had not pursued a career in music.
Naira Marley recalled growing up in London, England, and playing for the Arsenal youth, Millwall, and Charlton teams, noting that he could have been a footballer instead.
Speaking about his early years in the United Kingdom before returning to his native home, Naira Marley claims that his background influenced him to adopt Nigerian culture wherever possible.
In an interview with Cool FM Lagos Nigeria ,the singer discussed how his father influenced the development of his Yoruba language when he was a child.
In his words:
“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 these 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.”
