From A Producer To A Global Superstar-Chapter 380: The Talent Nigeria Almost Lost

The sun had already begun dipping lower across the Lagos skyline when the convoy finally returned to the hotel. Traffic still hummed across the streets like a restless river of metal and sound, but inside the quiet conference room on the upper floor the atmosphere felt calmer.

Shina sat in front of his laptop with his headphones around his neck, scrubbing through the footage again.

The clip of the football field.

The boy sitting on the bench.

The quiet conversation between Dayo and the young man, Bolu.

The moment Bolu recognized Dayo and was blown away.

The moment inside the small house.

The hug between the boy and his mother, including the tears.

Each time he replayed it, the scene hit him again.

He leaned back in his chair slowly and rubbed his face.

"God..."

For a moment he simply stared at the screen.

He had filmed many things over the last few days since joining Dayo’s team. The university visit alone had already been powerful content. Students crying with relief after their tuition had been paid was the kind of moment people loved seeing.

But this...

This felt different. This wasn’t just charity. It was the beginning of someone’s life story, and he was witnessing it firsthand. He still couldn’t believe that Dayo would go as far as sponsoring the boy abroad. If he hadn’t been there to witness it himself, he would have called it a PR move or something else.

Shina pressed export.

The video began rendering.

Across the room Sharon glanced up from her tablet.

"Uploading already?"

Shina nodded.

"I think this might be the most important footage I’ve ever captured."

She studied his face for a moment before looking back down.

"You might be right."

A few minutes later, after confirming with Sharon, the upload finished.

The video went live.

Title: The Football Talent Nigeria Almost Lost

For a few seconds nothing happened.

Then the view counter began moving, slowly at first, like a plane starting its takeoff.

100 views.

1,000 views.

10,000 views.

Within ten minutes the video had already crossed 300,000 views across all platforms.

Shina blinked slowly. Although he had seen numbers higher than this before, he still hadn’t gotten used to it. Watching the numbers continue rising made him gulp.

"Okay..."

The comment section started filling up almost instantly.

He clicked refresh.

More appeared.

Another refresh.

Then more again.

It was almost like people had been waiting for him to release the video.

Across the room Sharon stood up and walked closer to the screen.

"What are people saying?"

Shina scrolled.

The first wave of reactions appeared.

"Bro this video made me emotional."

"Look at the boy’s face when he realized what just happened. That’s not acting."

"Every Nigerian kid deserves a chance like this."

"Brother above you can say that again. I mean we have talent here in Nigeria and they just waste like that because of the lack of opportunities."

Another refresh.

More comments appeared.

"JD didn’t just give money. He literally changed someone’s life. This is the difference between him and others. He doesn’t just give money. Take this Shino guy for instance. Dayo could have just snapped a picture with a few cash and that’s all Shino would be happy, but no. He practically gave him an opportunity that can’t be replaced by money. The same thing with that young man. I just want to say for the Nth time JD IS THE GOAT."

"I swear if that boy becomes a professional player one day this video will become history."

"Like imagine if the boy truly becomes a professional football player. Omo I would fear Dayo if that happens because that would mean he has instinct for talent."

Shina kept scrolling.

Then the tone started shifting.

As usual, not everyone believed the story.

"What if the boy isn’t even that good? Is that not a waste of money? I mean not even testing him, he just gave the boy that opportunity. I smell PR but I rest my case."

"Football academies in Europe are serious business."

"What if this is just content?"

"Hmm this is just show off eh. Do you think we need saving? And if you want to help someone must you put it online?"

"Bro like do you get what is painful? It’s how people are glorifying him for this."

And as always, when Dayo’s fans smelled blood they gathered to defend him.

"You know what I hate most in this world? Ignorant FOOLS. Why would people just hate on something good like this? Seeing those people smile, does it not feel good to watch? Does your heart not melt when you watch that boy’s mother pray for him while crying? I swear if I see any bad comment we will assemble and destroy your account."

"Hehe sister above you’re so fierce and I like it. I read a comment saying that even if it’s real Dayo shouldn’t be glorified because he shows off, so I got curious and checked his profile. Bro is a beggar by profession. You all know those ’fast fingers’ posts where someone says the fastest person to type this gets money? That’s literally his whole page. I’m not lying. You all can check it out. His user is @taiwo233."

"And what majority fail to understand again is that there are a lot of charities Dayo does without cameras. In fact more than 75% of the charity he does is without cameras. The one that even sparked the PR talk was taken without him being aware. So haters, if you’re not afraid of losing your account continue to talk. As my Nigerian friends would say: ’IF DEM BORN YOU WELL TALK U GO COLLECT WOTO WOTO.’"

Seeing that the people who posted negative comments either stopped or deleted them, others continued posting.

"Even if the boy fails at least someone gave him a chance. How many dreams die here every day?"

"You people don’t understand how hard it is to chase football in this country."

Shina leaned back slowly. Watching Dayo’s fans fight online reminded him of how he himself used to go all out against anyone who attacked JD back then. The memory brought a small smile to his face.

He still replied to people who insulted Dayo sometimes, but only the really rude ones. After replying to his satisfaction he took a deep breath and watched the numbers climb.

Five hundred thousand.

Eight hundred thousand.

One million.

And it had barely been twenty minutes.

Across the room Dayo finally stepped inside.

He glanced at the laptop screen.

"How’s it doing?"

Shina turned the laptop toward him.

Dayo studied the comment section for a few seconds. The mixture of praise and skepticism scrolled endlessly.

Sharon crossed her arms.

"There’s already controversy."

Dayo smiled faintly.

"That’s normal."

Shina looked at him.

"You expected it?"

Dayo shrugged slightly.

"When something reaches people, they talk about it. And look at who is talking... are you not part of my fan base that causes issues everywhere?"

Shina’s face turned bright red.

"WHAT? That’s a lie. I never did such."

Dayo smiled.

"Seriously? Because I can still remember a few. Should I start reading them out for you?"

Shina panicked in embarrassment.

"No. Fine. You win. I am one of them."

Dayo laughed.

Sharon just shook her head watching them.

Shina looked at Sharon, his cheeks still red.

"Is he always like this?"

Sharon smiled.

"Yeah. He never likes losing, so get used to it. Only a handful can handle him."

Shina grinned.

"Haha... that’s like my mentor."

Sharon shook her head.

"Bunch of Dayo head fans."

Shina just laughed.

For a moment the room fell quiet except for the faint hum of the air conditioner.

Then something appeared in Dayo’s vision.

A translucent notification panel unfolded silently in front of him.

[System Notification]

Achievement Unlocked: Hidden Talent Discoverer

You have successfully identified and supported an SS-rank talent.

Reward Granted: National Reputation Increase — Nigeria +17%

Public perception and influence within Nigeria have significantly improved.

Dayo exhaled slowly.

So that was the reward.

Reputation.

He couldn’t help smiling slightly.

Across the room Sharon noticed the expression.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You’re smiling at nothing."

"I’m just happy."

Shina refreshed the page again.

The video had already crossed three million views.

He leaned back in disbelief.

"Bro... this thing is moving fast."

Sharon glanced over.

"People like stories like this."

Shina shook his head slowly.

"It’s not even about views anymore."

He pointed to the screen.

"Look at these comments."

He read one aloud.

"This boy better not waste this chance. Nigeria is behind you."

Another.

"I swear if he becomes a professional player one day I’m coming back to this video."

Another appeared.

"This might be the beginning of something big."

Dayo smiled.

"Get used to it... because you’ll be seeing more."

Shina nodded with a grin.

"I was born ready."

Dayo smirked and said in a low voice "Alright we would see about that."

Shino felt a deep shiver "did you say something?."

Dayo shook his head.