Lee Min-Ho, Chadwick Boseman, Lil Baby, Idris Elba, Paul Pogba and Lionel Messi go head-to-head in the category of Most Popular Foreign Male Celebrity at the NET Honours People’s Choice Awards, one of the world’s most prestigious audience data-based awards.
NET Honours focuses on recognising achievers in the entertainment industry through a thorough analysis of online audience search, consumer interest, social media interactions and search trends on ID Africa’s media platforms.
Lee Min-Ho gained worldwide recognition with his role in the Korean TV drama Boys Over Flowers. He has also starred in movies like Bounty Hunters (which grossed $31 million) and Gangnam Blues (which grossed $20 million). In 2020, he starred in the Korean TV series, The King Eternal Monarch, which topped the Netflix watchlist for Nigeria. On his birthday last year, June 22, he trended for several hours as many of his Nigerian fans tweeted celebratory notes.
Chadwick Boseman, who achieved international fame for playing the lead role in the superhero movie Black Panther, succumbed to colon cancer on August 28, 2020, at 42 years old. His last film, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, was critically acclaimed and earned him a posthumous Oscar nomination for Best Actor. There are also plans for his alma mater, Howard University, to be renamed after him.
U.S rapper Lil Baby has been nominated for multiple awards in the course of his career, including three Grammy Awards, two MTV Video Awards and seven BET Awards. In October 2020, he was featured on Davido’s single “So Crazy”, which peaked at number 1 on the Apple Music Chart in November 2020.
Idris Elba is one of the top 20 highest-grossing actors globally: as of 2020, his films have grossed over $10 billion at the global box office. In November 2020, he was listed in the Powerlist Top 100 most influential people in the U.K of African/African-Caribbean descent. He has also hosted the MTV Base Africa Day concert for two years in a row.
Paul Pogba, a World Cup winner with the French national football team, plays as a first-choice midfielder for Manchester United. His performances helped the club finish second place at the end of the 2020/2021 English Premier League season, and he also led the team to the final of the UEFA Europa League.
Lionel Messi, widely regarded as the greatest footballer of all time, finished the 2020/21 football season with 38 goals in 47 appearances. He also led Barcelona to another Copa Del Rey triumph but narrowly missed winning the Spanish La Liga title.
Data for NET Honours is sourced from a comprehensive database of over eight million users who engaged with Netng, Neusroom, Orin and 234Star platforms via the websites, social media accounts, and related platforms within a 12-month calendar period.
Who do Nigerians regard as the most popular foreign male celebrity? Follow the conversation on Netng’s social media with #NETHonours and follow @theNETng on Twitter, Facebook and IG to find out. NET Honours winners will be unveiled on Sunday, June 20, 2021, at 5 pm.
See the complete list of nominees here.
