Burna Boy made history by being the first Nigerian musician to give an award at the London Palladium’s Ballon d’Or presentation on Monday.
At the event were football’s biggest names and top stakeholders, with entertainers adding glitz to the occasion.
Burna Boy presented the Socrates Award, given annually to players and their foundations for outstanding humanitarian and social work off the pitch.
Invited to the stage by Kate Scott and Thierry Henry, the Grammy winner was asked about his football project.
He said the Burna Boy Football Academy was his way of giving back to the community, and he hopes one of his players will one day lift the Ballon d’Or.
“Hopefully I’ll come back one day to see one of my people [players] get the Ballon d’Or,” he said.
He then announced Bukayo Saka, the Arsenal winger, as the winner of the Socrates Award, recognising his humanitarian work, including funding eye surgery for a boy in Uganda.
His appearance in London comes just hours after he delivered an electrifying performance at the 2026 NFL Paris halftime show, captivating the crowd at Stade de France during Sunday’s matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints.
Burna Boy is no stranger to major sporting events. In 2023, he performed at the NBA All-Star Game and the UEFA Champions League final kickoff show.
He and Shakira also lit up the stage at the first-ever FIFA World Cup halftime show in 2026.
Burna Boy, born Damini Ogulu, first burst onto the scene with ‘Like to Party’, the lead single from his debut album ‘L.I.F.E’ (2013).
Since his breakout, the Afro-fusion singer has become one of Africa’s biggest music exports, releasing several acclaimed projects.
His albums include ‘L.I.F.E’ (2013), ‘On a Spaceship’ (2015), ‘Outside’ (2018), ‘African Giant’ (2019), ‘Twice As Tall‘ (2020), ‘Love, Damini‘ (2022), ‘I Told Them‘ (2023) and ‘No Sign of Weakness’ (2025).
He holds the record for the most Grammy nominations by a Nigerian artist, with 13 nods, and won Best Global Music Album in 2021 for ‘Twice As Tall’.
