Nigerian music star Burna Boy has made history as the first Nigerian artiste to present an award at the prestigious Ballon d’Or ceremony.
The Grammy-winning singer presented the 2026 Socrates Award to Arsenal and England forward Bukayo Saka during the ceremony held at the London Palladium in London on Monday, October 26.
Burna Boy, whose real name is Damini Ogulu, was invited on stage by hosts Kate Scott and Thierry Henry to announce the winner of the award, which recognises footballers for their humanitarian efforts and contributions to society.
Saka received the honour in recognition of his charitable work with BigShoe, an organisation that supports children in need of medical treatment. His contributions have helped fund life-changing surgeries for children in Nigeria and other African countries.
Before presenting the award, Burna Boy spoke about his football development initiative in Nigeria, explaining that the project was established to support the country’s football culture.
The singer also expressed hope that one day he would return to the ceremony to witness a player from his academy win the Ballon d’Or.
Burna Boy’s appearance marks another milestone in his growing presence on the international stage, further strengthening the connection between Nigerian music and global sporting events.
Notably, Nigerian singer Rema previously made history as the first Nigerian artiste to perform at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in 2023. Burna Boy has now achieved a different milestone by becoming the first Nigerian artiste reported to have presented an award at the event.