Five years after Burna Boy and Wizkid turned the Ballon d’Or into a byword for success on their 2021 collaboration, Burna Boy finally stood on the actual stage.
On Monday night at the London Palladium, he became the first Nigerian artist to present an award at the ceremony, handing the 2026 Sócrates Award to Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka.
The Grammy winner was introduced by hosts Kate Scott and former France international Thierry Henry. Rather than keep it brief, he used the moment to talk up something closer to home, his football academy in Nigeria.
“Something I started a few years ago, just to support the football culture back home. Hopefully, inshallah, one day I’ll come back here to see one of my people getting an award in the Ballon d’Or,” he said.
That line lands harder when you look at the record. No Nigerian has ever won the Ballon d’Or, and Liberia’s George Weah remains the only African to take the men’s prize, back in 1995. Victor Osimhen’s eighth place finish in 2023 is still the country’s best.
The pairing with Saka made sense on more than one level. The 25 year old England international is of Nigerian heritage, and the Sócrates Award honours players whose work off the pitch supports humanitarian causes and social development.
Saka was recognised for his work with BigShoe, an organisation providing medical help to children. In 2022 he backed surgical procedures for about 120 children in Kano State, Nigeria, then supported another 100 children across Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania in 2023.
His acceptance speech leaned on one of those kids. He read a letter from Biringiro, a 14 year old from Rwanda whose eyesight began failing at 12, making it hard to move around his home or read in school.
“Then thanks to BigShoe, I received the eye care that I needed. Today, I can read the blackboard even from the back of the classroom,” the boy wrote.
Saka framed it around the simple joy of the game. “We know how it feels to be a child and have a ball at your feet and how much joy you have,” he said, before closing with thanks “on behalf of all the children we’ve been able to help.”
The night itself carried plenty of weight. It was the 70th edition and the first held in London, with Harry Kane becoming the first Englishman to win the men’s Ballon d’Or since Michael Owen in 2001.
Burna Boy wasn’t the only Afrobeats name in the building. Adekunle Gold walked the red carpet and said, “Another year that I’ll be invited for the Ballon d’Or, and this time, I’ll be performing at the after-party.
It fits a pattern that keeps building. Burna Boy played the 2023 Champions League final kick-off show in Istanbul, Rema became the first African artist to perform at the Ballon d’Or that same year, and Davido closed out the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Ayra Starr recently headlined a halftime show at the NFL International Games, and somewhere in Nigeria, Burna’s academy is working on the next chapter.
