Grammy-winning Nigerian singer Burna Boy has made history as the first Nigerian artiste to present an award at the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
The singer, whose real name is Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, presented the 2026 Sócrates Award to Arsenal and England forward Bukayo Saka at the London Palladium on Monday, October 26.
The ceremony marked the 70th edition of the prestigious football awards and the first time the event was held in London. Organisers moved the ceremony to the British capital to commemorate 70 years since England’s Stanley Matthews won the inaugural Ballon d’Or in 1956.
Before presenting the award, Burna Boy spoke about his football academy in Nigeria and its mission to support the development of the sport in the country.
“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 Ballon d’Or,” the singer said.
Why Bukayo Saka won the Sócrates Award
The Sócrates Award recognises footballers who use their influence to support humanitarian causes.
Saka, who has Nigerian heritage, received the honour for his charitable work with BigShoe, an organisation that helps fund medical treatment for children, including surgical operations in Nigeria.
Burna Boy’s appearance at the ceremony followed another major international performance. On October 25, he performed during halftime at the NFL game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints at Stade de France in Paris.
The game marked the NFL’s first regular-season fixture in France.
In July, the singer also performed alongside Colombian superstar Shakira during the first FIFA World Cup final halftime show. They performed “Dai Dai”, the tournament’s official song.
Burna Boy has previously appeared at major sporting events, including the 2023 NBA All-Star Game and the UEFA Champions League final kickoff show.
Burna Boy’s global music career
The singer won the Grammy Award for Best Global Music Album in 2021 for Twice As Tall. He has since received seven consecutive Grammy nominations.
He rose to prominence in 2012 with “Like to Party”, the lead single from his debut album, L.I.F.E, released in 2013.
His subsequent albums include African Giant, Twice As Tall, Love, Damini, I Told Them and No Sign of Weakness.
Another Nigerian singer, Adekunle Gold, also attended the Ballon d’Or ceremony. The artiste, whose real name is Adekunle Kosoko, was photographed arriving on the red carpet and announced that he would perform at the event’s after-party in London.
Reacting to the occasion on Instagram, Adekunle Gold wrote, “I prayed for this all my life”.
Meanwhile, England captain Harry Kane won the men’s Ballon d’Or, beating Kylian Mbappé and Lamine Yamal to the honour. Kane became the first English player to win the award since Michael Owen in 2001.
