Nigeria is a country divided by ethnic lines, but those differences are put aside when the national team is in action.
Football is a unifying factor in the country, and it is evident whenever the Super Eagles are playing as all kinds of differences are put aside.
National team matches, especially in a competition like the World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations, commands the whole nation’s attention.
The streets are silent like the graveyard, roads are free of traffic whenever the Super Eagles are playing a World Cup game or an Afcon match.
Aside from football, music is another unifying factor for Nigerians. Nigeria’s music has grown in leaps and bounds over the last 20 years.
Nigerian music has brought international recognition to the country, and it is also one of the few shining lights in a country known for getting in the news for the wrong reasons.
Artists like Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy have the biggest fanbase in Africa and one of the world’s biggest. Nigerian musicians have won numerous international awards and are the pacesetter for all other African artistes.
While tastes in music and even choice of football clubs may differ, which could sometimes lead to heated arguments, music and football are still what unifies the citizens.
So given there’s a correlation between music and football, Soccernet.ng decides to compare some of Nigeria’s top footballers with their musician counterparts.
NB: The list includes players and musicians from both the past and present, while females are also included.
Ighalo is from the south-south region just like Duncan Mighty. But that’s not the only reason why he is compared to the Port-Harcourt based musician.
Ighalo came into the international setup at relatively old age for a footballer. His first appearance at a major tournament for the Super Eagles was at the age of 28, which was the 2018 World Cup.
He followed it up with another appearance at 2019 Afcon, finishing as the top scorer with five goals. Following that tournament, he called time on his international career.
In the end, Ighalo scored 16 times in just 35 games for the Super Eagles. He never really had many top moments with the team and could not be considered as a great.
However, he was respected enough while his move to Manchester United brought him worldwide fame. He is now in Saudi Arabia, hoping to earn more big bucks before he retires.
The same can also be said about Duncan Mighty, who is well respected but not seen as a great in the Nigerian music space.
But he did make a comeback with two hit singles that featured Wiz Kid and Davido respectively, which brought him back to the spotlight.
