Hosted at the Theatre du Chatelet, France Football’s Ballon d’or ceremony was a star-studded event.
The historic venue’s halls were filled by some of the biggest names in football history, representing numerous clubs from all across Europe.
Despite missing out on the major awards, the Premier League had strong representation, especially through Liverpool and Manchester City.
They weren’t alone in repping the English League, as members from London outfit Arsenal were also in attendance.
Women’s team stars Beth Mead and Vivianne Miedema were both present alongside Bukayo Saka.
The two ladies finished 11th and 2nd respectively in the race for the Ballon d’Or Feminin, while the England international was placed in the 8th spot for the Kopa Trophy.
Despite returning empty-handed, the Arsenal contingent certainly gave fans plenty of images to obsess over, with Saka even delivering a very unexpected crossover.
While the event was essentially an assembly of the who’s who of football, certain people with indirect ties to the game were also present.
Among them was popular social media star Luva de Pedreiro, who earned fame on TikTok through short videos displaying some outrageous skills with the ball paired alongside his signature catchphrase ‘recebbaa’.
Since becoming internet famous, the Brazilian has encountered numerous footballers, and that number multiplied tenfold after he was invited to the Ballon d’Or ceremony.
The list of players he came across on the night included Saka, and the duo simply had to do Pedreiro’s signature gesture together.
Fans online loved the moment, and there were even requests for the Arsenal man to do the celebration after scoring any goals in the future.
By the time next year’s ceremony occurs, Saka will have turned 22, which means he’ll be out of contention for the Kopa Trophy.
However, given Arsenal’s silverware ambitions this season and Saka’s pivotal role in them, he could perhaps make the Ballon d’Or list, the potential is certainly there.
Gooners will be hoping that Saka is back in Paris again next year, albeit with his sights on the top prize.
