Bukayo Saka is the winner of the 2026 Socrates award. The award was presented at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in London and is a recognition of the humanitarian efforts of the Arsenal and England footballer.
The Socrates award is awarded for outstanding social and charitable contributions by a current footballer. It is presented by “France Football“ and “Peace and Sport“ and is named after the legendary Brazilian footballer Socrates. Previous winners include Sadio Mane, Vinicius Junior, Jenny Hermoso and Luis Enrique.
Upon receiving the award, Saka read a letter from a boy who said that thanks to the footballer's initiatives, his school had received a blackboard. With it, the boy and his classmates learned to write.
The story added to Saka's work with children in Africa. In 2022, he partnered with the charity BigShoe and helped fund 120 medical surgeries for children in Kano, Nigeria. “It is very important to me to use my opportunities to have a positive impact. "I want to do more and help as many children as possible," Saka told BBC Sport at the time.
The organisers define the award as recognition for a footballer who uses his publicity and resources to support public causes. For Saka, this is his second major award at the “Ballon d'Or“ ceremony as a representative of English football, after he has established himself as one of Arsenal's leading figures over the years.
The “Ballon d'Or“ ceremony in 2026 was held at the “London Palladium“ theatre and included awards for the best footballers, coaches, goalkeepers and clubs, as well as for social and humanitarian causes.