Burna Boy Opens Up on Plans to Bring Vinicius Jr., Jaylen Brown to Nigeria

Burna Boy Opens Up on Plans to Bring Vinicius Jr., Jaylen Brown to Nigeria

  • Burna Boy disclosed that he, Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jr. and NBA star Jaylen Brown share a group chat they call the 'Seven group chat'
  • The Grammy winner stated that their most recent group chat conversation centred on arranging a trip to Nigeria for both sports stars
  • Burna Boy also named Jay-Jay Okocha as his football GOAT, arguing the Nigerian legend deserves more recognition than Ronaldinho

Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy has let fans in on an unexpected friendship, explaining that he, Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior, and Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown are all in the same group chat, with Nigeria at the centre of their latest discussions.

The singer, whose real name is Damini Ogulu, shared the detail during an interview with ESPN UK published on its YouTube channel on Tuesday, August 18, 2026.

Burna Boy discusses plans to bring Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr. and NBA player Jaylen Brown to Nigeria
Burna Boy shares plans involving Vinicius Jr. and Jaylen Brown as sports stars discuss visiting Nigeria. Photo: burnaboygram/vinijr/fchwpo
Source: Instagram

Burna Boy described the trio's arrangement as their "Seven group chat," a name that references the jersey number all three reportedly share a connection to.

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"Now we have a 7 team. It's me, Vini, and I don't know if you know Jaylen Brown," Burna Boy said.

When the interviewer confirmed Jaylen Brown's identity, the singer added,

"Yeah, that's our Seven group chat."

He went on to say the most recent topic in the chat was about flying both athletes out to Nigeria, though he did not provide a specific timeline for the visit.

Burna Boy's football academy and sports connections

Beyond the group chat revelation, Burna Boy spoke about his football academy in Nigeria, saying the project was inspired by a documentary he watched about community football in Jamaica.

He expressed ambitions for young talents from the academy to eventually break into top clubs such as Manchester United, saying:

"So I just started throwing my money at it."

The Grammy-winning singer also touched on his friendships with other sports personalities.

He recalled meeting former Manchester United and France midfielder Paul Pogba at his own 30th birthday celebrations in the United States, saying Pogba surprised him by turning up unannounced at his home.

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His introduction to Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane came under rather different circumstances, when both men happened to be dining in the same restaurant during his uncle's birthday dinner.

"We just ran into him having dinner. And, yeah, just dragged him to the party," Burna Boy said.
Burna Boy talks about bringing Vinicius Jr. and Jaylen Brown to Nigeria during ESPN interview
Burna Boy discusses Nigeria visit plans for Vinicius Jr. and Jaylen Brown while highlighting his football academy. Photo: burnaboygram
Source: Instagram

Burna Boy backs Okocha over Ronaldinho as football GOAT

Perhaps the boldest moment of the interview came when the Afrobeats star named former Super Eagles captain Austin "Jay-Jay" Okocha as his personal football greatest of all time, arguing that the former Bolton Wanderers playmaker has been consistently overlooked in global conversations about the sport's legends.

"Obviously Jay-Jay Okocha, and I'll tell you why," he said.
"Because I feel like he—he hasn't gotten the flowers that he deserves. You feel me? I feel like his name should be called in the leagues of, like, the—the legends' legends."

Burna Boy went further, insisting that Okocha's name deserves to be mentioned even before that of Brazilian icon Ronaldinho.

"I think you should even call Jay-Jay Okocha's name before you call Ronaldinho," he declared.

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Watch Burna Boy's interview below:

Burna Boy, Shakira's World Cup song makes history

Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Burna Boy’s FIFA World Cup 2026 collaboration with Shakira, Dai Dai, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Global 200 chart after climbing two spots.

The track also held firm atop the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. chart for a third consecutive week, marking the first official World Cup song to lead either chart since their launch in 2020.

For Burna Boy, this milestone represents his first-ever Billboard Global 200 No. 1, while Shakira secured her second chart-topping hit.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
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Kola Ogunkanmi (Entertainment Editor) Kola Ogunkanmi is an entertainment journalist and digital content writer with 5 years of experience in news reporting, content curation, and social media management. He has written entertainment, celebrity, sports, and trending stories for Gistreel.com and was also a freelance contributor to FotNews. Kola currently works at Legit.ng as an Entertainment Editor, covering celebrity gossip, pop culture, and digital trends. He is also a self-published author with experience in fiction and nonfiction writing, and he’s involved in storytelling and transcription as well.