"Was afraid to touch the GOAT" - Fans react hilariously as Afrobeats singer Rema forgets to greet Lionel Messi during 2023 Ballon d'Or gala

Nigerian singer Divine Ikubor, also known as Rema, made headlines for all the wrong reasons when he forgot to greet Lionel Messi during the 2023 Ballon d'Or ceremony.

During his performance, Rema got off stage to interact with the players seated in the front row but failed to exchange pleasantries with the eventual winner of the award.

Rema famously became the first Nigerian to perform at a Ballon d'Or ceremony, making a huge statement for other up-and-coming African artists. The 23-year-old rapper was invited on the stage after Manchester City were awarded the Club of the Season title.

Everyone expected him to take the stage by storm with his hit song, Calm Down. Rema did exactly that, mesmerizing the audience by delivering his signature blend of Afrobeat and contemporary sounds.

As the performance progressed, Rema decided to step down from the stage and shake hands with the footballers seated right in front of him. The talented singer greeted multiple football personalities, including Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland, Jude Bellingham, and Vinicius Junior, among others.

However, Rema failed to spot Lionel Messi, who was seated right next to the section where the young musician had been exchanging pleasantries.

His innocent mistake sparked a number of amusing reactions on social media, with one of the fans commenting that the Nigerian artist was probably scared to touch Lionel Messi (via Sports Brief):

"Rema was afraid to touch the GOAT"

One of them remarked:

"Rema took precautionary measures. Before Messi’s bodyguard tackles him from nowhere 😂"

Another one stated:

"The moment Rema shook the hands of Mbappe, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior, Haaland, Bernardo Silva, Ikay Gundogan, Rodri and left Messi hanging 😹😹😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😹🤣🤣🤣"

While the incident has attracted a lot of attention, it ended up having no ramifications for the Ballon d'Or ceremony, Lionel Messi, or Rema himself. He exited the stage after completing a captivating performance, much to the appreciation of the audience.

The night ended with Lionel Messi bagging the record-eighth Ballon d'Or title of his career, extending his lead over Cristiano Ronaldo by three.

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Lionel Messi backed Barcelona prodigy to contest for the Ballon d'Or in the future

Having secured his third Ballon d'Or title in the last five years, Lionel Messi made sure to credit his opponents for their achievements.

He congratulated the likes of Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe, and Vinicius Junior for their exploits and backed them for taking the award home in years to come.

Messi also named Lamine Yamal among the youngsters with the potential to win the title in the future and praised him for his heroics with Barcelona.

He stated (via Barca Universal):

"I also think that Lamine Yamal, who is still very young but who has already played very well with Barcelona and has become an important player."

At the tender age of 16, Lamine Yamal has already broken multiple records since his first-team debut last year. The Barcelona prodigy is prospering well in his boyhood, having already bagged one goal and three assists this campaign.