“I really liked Tevez” – Nigerian Afrobeats superstar Rema names Ronaldo and two others as greatest footballers

Famous Nigerian Afrobeats superstar, Divine Ikubor, popularly known as Rema, has named Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe as the three greatest players of all time, Soccernet.ng reports.

The 24-year-old musician is one of the entertainment exports from Nigeria, with his music amassing over 8 billion streams on Spotify alone. His big hit song, “Calm Down”, featuring American singer, Selena Gomez, has amassed 1.6 billion streams and counting.

Away from the wonders he performs with his vocals and a microphone, the global superstar is a football fan. Quizzed about his personal take on who the three greatest footballers of all time are, Rema opted for household names including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Kylian Mbappe.

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“Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and the third one is hard, but I'll say Messi. I was going to say someone else because I was really a huge fan of Tevez, especially when he was at Manchester United, and then he went on to Manchester City. At that time, I was heavy on the PS2. I love Tevez. On the console, he could shoot from anywhere,” the one-time Grammy nominee said in an interview with ESPN at the NBA Paris Games 2025.

Nigerian artist Rema names his three best footballers of all time ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/ekEHSwMNsl

— ESPN Africa (@ESPNAfrica) January 29, 2025

Cristiano and Carlos Tevez were a force to be reckoned with in the English Premier League during the Barclays era, and it is no surprise Rema is a Manchester United fan because of the duo.

During their time at the Theatre of Dreams, the duo played 80 games together, even though they combined for just eight goals with both of their involvements. With the pair on the pitch, Manchester United won 57 games, drew 15, and lost just 8.

Rema performed at the 2023 Ballon d'Or awards, adding him to a list of Nigerian artists to have donned the football stage when the lights shine bright.

His decision to involve Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe implies the musician is conversant with football debates. Messi and Mbappe went toe to toe in the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in Qatar, but the Argentine emerged victorious and clinched his 8th Ballon d'Or Award.