My dream was to play for Barca – Zlatan

Omoniyi Timidayo Raphael, Afrobeats sensation and rapper, known professionally as Zlatan Ibile, has revealed that his dream while growing up was to be a footballer.

According to him, after failing at school, he wanted to play for Spanish club, Barcelona.

Speaking during an interview with Echo Room, he explained that he never had the intention of being a musician.

The rapper said he picked interest in music after one of his friends played a song he recorded for him.

He said: “I was not a bright student in secondary school. I struggled with Mathematics and Accounting. I was in a Commercial class. I failed my WAEC and I was supposed to sit at home for a year. All my dreams were to play for Barcelona.

“I tried my best but Nigerian football discouraged me. I was playing for a local club then. When I failed WAEC, I was going to sit down at home for a year, and then one of my friends came and played his record for me. I told him to take me to the studio the next time he was going. That was how I became a musician. I never had the intention of being a musician.”

Zlatan decided to pursue a career in music after graduating secondary school.

On November 3, 2019, the 29-year-old released his debut studio album ‘Zanku’, an acronym for Zlatan Abeg No Kill Us.