Bukayo Saka Wins Socrates Award at Ballon d'Or as Burna Boy Hands Him the Honour
Bukayo Saka turned football's grandest night into a moment about children. The Arsenal and England winger collected the Socrates Award at the 2026 Ballon d'Or ceremony at London's Palladium on Monday 26 October, with Nigerian music star Burna Boy presenting the honour on stage, multiple outlets reported.
An award for work beyond football
The Socrates Award, handed out since 2022 by France Football alongside Peace and Sport, recognises footballers for humanitarian and social work rather than goals or trophies. It is named after the late Brazilian captain Sócrates. Previous recipients include Senegal forward Sadio Mané, Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior and Spanish star Jenni Hermoso, according to ceremony coverage.
Saka, 25, was honoured for his long-running partnership with the charity BigShoe, which funds medical care for children in need. In 2022, the partnership funded 120 life-changing operations for children in Kano, Nigeria — the country where Saka's parents were born — outlets reported. "I work a lot with my family and the charity called BigShoe. We try to do our best to help children who don't have the same opportunities or capabilities we have," Saka said.
He gave his speech to a 14-year-old
Rather than centre himself, Saka read aloud a letter from Biringiro, a 14-year-old boy from Rwanda whose sight was restored through BigShoe's work. In the letter, the boy described losing his sight from the age of 12 in a village without electricity, struggling to move around his own home or read at school. After treatment, he wrote, he can now read the blackboard from the back of the classroom, enjoy being a child again, and dreams of becoming an English teacher one day.
"For me, it's an honour to be here, and it's an honour to receive this award on behalf of all the children we've been able to help," Saka said after reading the letter. He closed by thanking France Football for the chance to keep raising awareness of causes close to his heart.
Burna Boy's moment — and the night's headline winners
Before handing over the trophy, Burna Boy spoke about his own football academy in Nigeria, which he said he started a few years ago to support football culture back home, adding that he hoped one day to see one of its players collecting a Ballon d'Or award.
The ceremony's headline prizes went to England captain Harry Kane, who won his first men's Ballon d'Or, and Barcelona star Alexia Putellas, who collected the women's award for a third time, CNN and USA Today reported.
Sources: CNN, USA Today, ESPN, TheCable, Punch, Sports Mole and Peace and Sport, 26 October 2026.