Barca’s Yamal Prefers Burna Boy And Another Nigerian Artist Over Skales

Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal has unintentionally sparked reactions among Nigerian music lovers with his recent comment, according to Soccernet.ng.

The Spanish international has revealed Burna Boy and Rema as his favourite Afrobeats artists, seemingly snubbing Nigerian singer Skales.

In a recent interview, Yamal admitted his love for Afro music, saying, “I listen to Afro music,” and when asked to name his favourites, the 16-year-old replied, “Burna [Boy] and Rema.”

Yamal’s comment comes just days after the team missed out on advancing to the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League final following a narrow loss to Inter Milan.

Earlier, before their UCL exit, he was spotted celebrating Barcelona’s 3-2 Copa del Rey final win over Real Madrid by dancing to Skales’ 2015 hit song Shake Body alongside his teammates.

Yamal’s recent vibe to the song has brought the song back into the limelight, racking up over 13.5 million views on TikTok and pushing Shake Body past one million monthly streams on Spotify.

Skales himself had later met the Barca star at a post-match celebration party, where he performed and shared a cheerful moment with Yamal and Alejandro Balde.

However, Yamal’s latest declaration has drawn playful reactions online — including a jab from fellow Nigerian artist Odumodublvck, known for his hit Declan Rice.

Taking to his X (formerly Twitter) account, he wrote: “Youngskales, this boy na snake” — a Pidgin English phrase loosely translated as “This boy is a snake.”

Though only 16, Yamal is already being compared to the greats — and his rising fame is now being linked with the music scene as well.