Burna Boy has become the first Nigerian artiste to present an award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony after announcing Bukayo Saka as the winner of the Socrates Award in London on Monday night.
The ceremony took place at the London Palladium. It brought together leading footballers, officials and entertainers.
Burna Boy presents Socrates Award
The Socrates Award recognises footballers and their foundations for outstanding humanitarian work. Saka, the Arsenal winger, received the honour for his charity efforts, including funding eye surgery for a boy in Uganda.
Burna Boy joined presenters Kate Scott and Thierry Henry on stage. He also spoke about his football development project and its role in supporting young talents.
The singer said the Burna Boy Football Academy was his way of giving back to the community. He also expressed hope that one of its players would win the Ballon d’Or in the future.
“Hopefully I’ll come back one day to see one of my people [players] get the Ballon d’Or,” he said.
Singer’s growing presence at sporting events
Burna Boy’s appearance at the ceremony came a day after he performed at the 2026 NFL Paris halftime show.
The singer entertained fans at Stade de France during Sunday’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints.
He has also performed at other major sporting events. In 2023, he appeared at the NBA All-Star Game and the UEFA Champions League final kickoff show.
In 2026, he joined Shakira for the first-ever FIFA World Cup halftime show.
Burna Boy’s rise to global fame
Born Damini Ogulu, Burna Boy rose to fame with ‘Like to Party’, the lead single from his debut album, ‘L.I.F.E’, released in 2013.
He has since become one of Africa’s leading music exports. His albums include ‘African Giant’ (2019), ‘Twice As Tall’ (2020), ‘Love, Damini’ (2022), ‘I Told Them’ (2023) and ‘No Sign of Weakness’ (2025).
Burna Boy won the Grammy for Best Global Music Album in 2021 for ‘Twice As Tall’. He also holds the record for the most Grammy nominations by a Nigerian artiste, with 13 nominations.
Leave a Reply