Who is DIDE? Masked Rapper Says He’s a Premier League Player

And so, the plot thickens.

While they may not sport the same deerstalker cap and Inverness cape as the fabled super sleuth, English Premier League fans around the globe are channeling their inner Sherlock Holmes as they try to solve the baffling conundrum of who the mysterious, masked rapper DIDE is after he signaled in his recently dropped music video dropped on YouTube that he’s a London-based player in England’s top flight of football. Concealed in a black rose-layered mask, the enigmatic figure cuts a striking pose as he raps in the video "Thrill" – which has already garnered more than 600,000 views on YouTube and was filmed at several London locations. DIDE first launched himself into the pop culture zeitgeist when his social media profile debuted on Instagram in January. He identifies himself in his bio as a “Rapper at home. Footballer on the pitch.”

Which English Premier League player do fans think DIDE is?

Clues percolating throughout the song have led to a lot of speculation online from Premier League fans. One of the leading candidates is Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah. For one, some think the name DIDE is an anagram – a word constructed by transposing the letters of another word – for Eddi and, thus, Eddie isn’t much of a stretch. Pat and Vanna, we’d like to buy a vowel here.

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So, is that the only inkling of proof there is? Far from it, but if that doesn’t spark your inner inspector, check out the lyrics. People think it could be the Gunners’ forward because of lines like, “my team stay winning,” and “every game is like a final.” Inquisitive minds view the latter as a direct reference to Arsenal’s title race against an Erling Haaland-led Manchester City squad. Speaking of Haaland, when is Thor’s protégé going full incognito and dropping his own music video? That would be quite the sight to behold, but alas, fans will have to wait on the real-life Norse god because scoring’s the only thing on his mind right now.

Could DIDE be a different Premier League player other than Eddie Nketiah?

Never say never, but multiple Premier League studs like Michail Antonio and Callum Wilson have already ruled themselves out of being the masked rapper.

"Obviously, he [DIDE} says, ‘south London, big time Premier League player, I got my own money,’ so it ain't me," revealed Antonio on his EPL-based podcast with Wilson, The Footballer’s Football Podcast. "I don't think it's Wilfried Zaha. His [DIDE’s] body shape could be Nketiah."

Who do people in and around the music industry think DIDE is?

Recently announced as the host of the BBC Radio 1 Rap Show, DJ Kenny Allstar is all in on Nketiah being the true identity of the masked rapper because of the Instagram posts.

"I'm going to go with the Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah," Allstar told the BBC. "It's just giving me Nketiah vibes – I think it's him."

He’s not the only figure in the music industry eyeing Nketiah as the man in the mask. Music producer AJD, also a BBC Asian Network DJ, likewise believes the Arsenal striker is DIDE.

"It seems like a London-based accent, and he's following [music producer] Steel Banglez who is also London-based," AJD explained to the BBC.

While the footy world debates DIDE’s identity, DIDE himself posted a photo to his Instagram account, captioning it with, “It’s about time we think outside of the box #whoisdide.”

So, all you budding footy Sherlocks out there, grab your Watson, polish your magnifying glasses and get back to work – there may still be a case to crack!

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