Shola Ameobi would have got a shock if he tuned into Tuesday night's Brit Awards after host Mo Gilligan mentioned him on camera.
Mo replaced Jack Whitehall as presenter of the annual event as it returned to its usual date in February, having been pushed back last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
As well as welcoming an array of stars to hand out the awards on the night, Masked Singer panellist Mo also had the job of introducing the live performances at the O2 Arena.
READ MORE: Brit Awards 2022 winners as trophies handed out at O2 Arena
After the likes of Adele and Ed Sheeran had taken to the stage and Anne-Marie fell during her performance, Sam Fender geared up to perform his hit single Seventeen Going Under.
And it was when introducing him that Mo gave a shout out to former Newcastle United striker Shola.
He said: "He's from the same place that gave us Cheryl, Ant and Dec and the legendary striker Shola Ameobi," as he made an attempt at doing a Geordie accent.
Mo ended his intro: "He's the new angel of the north, it's Sam Fender!"
Viewers were quick to react to Mo's Shola tribute, with one tweeting: "Legendary striker… Shola Ameobi Mo that is top tier."
Another posted: "Shola is somewhere rn nodding his head while scrolling his TL," and a third wrote: "was not expecting a shola amoebi reference on the brits."
As well as performing at the Brits, Sam was on the winner's rostrum earlier on in the night when he triumphed in the Best Rock/Alternative category.
The big winner of the night was Adele, who won three awards - Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Artist of the Year.
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