I came to Surulere for a football screening and then it was [Victor] Ikpeba and a lot of ex-Super Eagles players. I got picked and then they just substituted me for somebody else
By Labaran Kenneth
365Daily – Nigerian singer, Charles Chibueze Chukwu, popularly known as Crayon, has disclosed that he came close to signing for Manchester United after he impressed in trials in 2012-2013 but his name was replaced by corrupt officials.
The 22-year-old singer known for hits such as ‘So fine,’ ‘Ijo Laba Laba’ and ‘Overdose,’ alleged that his place was taken by someone else ‘who had money’ to bribe the officials.
Speaking to Pulse Nigeria, he said: “I went for screening in so many places. I was super close to joining Manchester United in 2012-13. I came to Surulere for a football screening and then it was [Victor] Ikpeba and a lot of ex-Super Eagles players. I got picked and then they just substituted me for somebody else because I didn’t have like money or something.”
While lamenting the killer effect of corruption on dreams of young Nigerians, he said some of his talented footballer friends missed out on opportunities because they lacked ‘connections.’
“The Under-17s we have now is no longer like the Under-17s we used to have. I feel like the [Victor] Osimhen’s set was the last set that was actually talented, the rest, omo na connections o.”
Crayon recently showed his football skills during a friendly match between two of Nigeria’s biggest music labels, Mavin (He is signed to Baby Fresh’s Blowtime Entertainment, an affiliate of Mavin Records owned by Don Jazzy) and Chocolate City.