Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is part of an England squad on the cusp of doing something no men’s player has done for 58 years: winning a major international competition.
The Three Lions star has been in mixed form during the tournament, starting slowly before turning on the style with a brilliant equaliser in the quarter-finals against Switzerland to send the match to extra-time. He’s also had two goals chalked off for offside in the build-up, showing just how deadly he can be given the chance.
Following his rise to the top of the English game, it’s sometimes easy to forget that Saka is still just 22-years-old; in the current 26-man squad only Jude Bellingham, Adam Wharton and Kobbie Mainoo are younger than him.
Saka was a highly regarded young star coming through the Gunners’ famed Hale End academy, making his senior debut for the club back in November 2018. It took just 10 minutes to show exactly why he generated such a buzz behind the scenes at Arsenal. One of several youngsters progressing through the ranks in north London who the club had high hopes for, few were as exciting as the Ealing-born Saka.
The fact that he was handed his debut by Unai Emery at the age of 17 told its own story.
Arsenal believed they had a genuine star in the making in Saka and when he came off the bench during the second half of the Europa League win against Vorskla in Kiev he gave everyone watching a glimpse of his exceptional talent.
Receiving the ball deep just outside the box, many teenagers would have looked to just move it on without taking any risks – but not Saka. He got his head down, beat his man with ease and smashed an effort in on goal which had to be pushed away by the Vorksla keeper.
“I was relaxed and just played how I always do and enjoyed every second,” Saka said after his debut. “I came close to scoring which would have been perfect, but the keeper made a great save.”
That passage of play was just a small snapshot of what Saka has always been about. A winger who loves to get on the ball, to commit defenders and get into box and make an impact.
Throughout his development he played in age groups way above his own as Arsenal looked to fast track the attacker, who was first spotted while playing for his local side Greenford Celtic as a seven-year-old.
Even at that tender age he had professional clubs queuing up to take him, but when Arsenal showed their hand there was nowhere else he was going to go.
