Masked Rapper Claiming To Be Pro Soccer Player Has U.K. Fans Playing Detective 

A new artist has U.K. rap and soccer fans in a spin over his identity. 

The masked rapper emerged on social media early this year, claiming to be a professional soccer player. He goes by the name of Dide and says he plays top-level soccer in the Premier League. However, very little else is known about the unnamed sportsman, who hides his identity behind a full-face mask.  

“Jump in the music game, the name too bait so the mask got to cover man’s face,” Dide raps in one snippet shared on Instagram in February.  

“Rapper at Home, Footballer on the Pitch!!!” Dide penned in the caption. “Premier League footballer jumps in the UK music industry. Keeping his identity unknown by wearing a uniquely designed mask, that is covered in roses. He goes my the name of Dide.” 

While Dide remained relatively low-key for a couple of months, his latest single has garnered significant attention.  

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A post shared by DIDE (@dideworld)

After teasing the track over several Instagram posts, Dide dropped “Thrill,” over the weekend with an accompanying video. The masked rapper is proving popular, and in just a few days, the visuals racked up nearly 300,000 YouTube views. Check out the “Thrill” video below. 

Meanwhile, fans have flooded the comments section of his posts to guess his identity. The “Thrill” visuals feature some of London’s most famous landmarks, and fans believe the rapper plays for a team based in England’s capital.  

Among the more popular names mentioned are Chelsea’s Ngolo Kante, Crystal Palace winger Wilfred Zaha and Arsenal’s man up front, Eddie Nketiah. However, many fans believe the rapper is really 21-year-old Chelsea F.C. player Noni Madueke. The internet sleuths pointed out the similarities between a song the athlete previewed during a 2021 interview and the new Dide song.  

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A post shared by Noni Madueke (@nonzinoo10)

Check out a snippet of Noni Madueke teasing one of his songs in the video below and compare it to Dide.