Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has won the Socrates Award at the 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony, held at the Palladium Theatre in London on 26 October 2026. The Socrates Award is the Ballon d’Or’s humanitarian prize, and Saka earned it for funding children’s surgeries in Nigeria and other charity work.
It is a prize about what a footballer does off the pitch, so the story is less about goals and more about how one player’s money and name were put to use.
Key takeaways
- Saka won the 2026 Socrates Award, presented at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on 26 October 2026.
- The award is run by Peace and Sport with France Football and L’Equipe, and it is now in its fifth year.
- Saka’s work centres on the charity BigShoe, which helped pay for 120 operations for children in Nigeria, his parents’ homeland.
- Past winners are Sadio Mané, Vinícius Júnior, Jenni Hermoso and Luis Enrique’s family foundation.
What is the Socrates Award?
The Socrates Award honours footballers who use their influence for social good. France Football announced it in 2022 and named it after Sócrates, the Brazilian midfielder who also trained as a doctor and led the “Corinthians Democracy” movement against Brazil’s military dictatorship.
Eligible work covers social integration, protecting the environment, and helping people who are disadvantaged or hit by conflict. It sits alongside the Ballon d’Or itself, but it is judged on a different question: what did you do for others?
What did Bukayo Saka do to win it?
According to Arsenal’s announcement, Saka and his family have backed several charities. Their long-term partnership with BigShoe has delivered medical care and aid to children and families in London and abroad.
The same report says the family helped pay for temporary housing for families displaced by earthquakes in Turkey and Morocco, and has helped more than 100 children in Nigeria and across Africa get surgery they could not otherwise reach.
Goal’s report puts the headline figure at 120 operations for children in Nigeria, funded through BigShoe. Saka’s parents are Nigerian, which is why Nigerian outlets such as TheCable led with the Nigeria link.
Who has won the Socrates Award before?
| Year | Winner | Work recognised |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Sadio Mané | Health, education and development projects in Senegal |
| 2023 | Vinícius Júnior | Education for children and fighting racism |
| 2024 | Jenni Hermoso | Speaking out on abuse and violence against women |
| 2025 | Luis Enrique’s Xana Foundation | Support for children with serious illness |
| 2026 | Bukayo Saka | Funding children’s surgeries and humanitarian aid |
Sources differ slightly on how to describe the 2025 winner, either Luis Enrique himself or his foundation, so the table names the foundation.
How is the winner chosen?
Peace and Sport president Joël Bouzou told Francs Jeux that organisers draw up a shortlist of about ten projects through the year and pass it to a jury.
The jury includes Rai, Sócrates’s younger brother, and editors from L’Equipe and France Football. They weigh four things:
- Real social impact, with concrete actions and results
- The champion’s personal involvement
- International visibility and room to grow
- Fit with the award’s identity
Why does this award matter beyond one player?
Bouzou’s own phrase is that the prize exists to “create as many megaphones as possible.” The idea is that a famous footballer’s attention can bring donors and visibility that a small charity could never buy.
My view, clearly opinion: the award works best when it points readers at the charity, not only the player. BigShoe is the part of this story most readers had not heard of, and it is the part worth looking up.
What happens next
The Socrates Award will return at the 2027 Ballon d’Or. Bouzou has said the prize may occasionally make exceptions for highly innovative, impactful people who are not athletes, so the field could widen.
For Saka, the more lasting question is whether the attention brings more funding to BigShoe’s work. Arsenal’s announcement says the club congratulated him on his “incredible achievement.”
FAQ
Who won the Socrates Award in 2026?
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in London on 26 October 2026.
Is the Socrates Award the same as the Ballon d’Or?
No. It is a separate humanitarian prize presented at the same ceremony by Peace and Sport with France Football and L’Equipe.
Who is the award named after?
Sócrates, the Brazilian footballer and doctor known for the Corinthians Democracy movement against military rule.
Want to act on it? Look up BigShoe and see how its work for children is funded.
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