Saka receives Socrates Award at Ballon d'Or ceremony for funding surgery for 120 children
The Ballon d'Or ceremony was held on Monday night at the Palladium Theatre in London. At the glittering event, 11 individual awards were given in 11 categories and two clubs were honoured in two categories. Alongside them was the Socrates Award, which went to England star Bukayo Saka.
Compared with the familiar awards, Saka's honour drew extra curiosity. The award was given for humanitarian work.
The Socrates Award has been given since 2022. It recognises a footballer's best humanitarian work. France Football and Peace and Sport jointly named the award after the late Brazilian legend Socrates.
Socrates was a co-founder of the Corinthians Democracy movement that grew in Brazil in the 1980s against military dictatorship. In 2022, Sadio Mane lifted the first award.
In 2026 the award went to Saka. The Arsenal forward received the recognition for helping children in need.
Working with the German charity BigShoe, Saka has funded surgery for children in Nigeria and some African countries. The support has helped operations for 120 children with conditions including hernia and brain tumours and various other physical problems and illnesses.
Holding the award, Saka told the story of a 14-year-old boy from Rwanda. The English forward held a note in which the boy, Biringiro, described his experience to Saka: 'When I was 12, I started losing my eyesight. There is no electricity in my village. As my eyesight got worse, even moving around inside the house became difficult for me. I could not read what teachers wrote on the blackboard at school. Playing with friends was very hard for me. I only wanted to play freely, like other children.'
The boy wrote further in the note: 'Then, with BigShoe's help, I received the eye treatment I needed. Today I can read the writing on the blackboard, even sitting on the very last bench in the classroom! Most importantly, I no longer have to think about being different from others. I can enjoy my childhood again. After a long time, I am dreaming anew about my future. When I grow up, I want to become an English teacher.'
