Following England’s World Cup squad announcement, manager Gareth Southgate received a lot of stick for not including certain players in his squad such as Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham, both of Nigerian descent.
It is not the first time the former Middlesbrough boss has got criticised for such, but he sticks to his guns and it usually pays off. He started out with a familiar-looking squad that reached the Euro 2020 final in their World Cup Group B opener against Iran, and it was Bukayo Saka, another player of Nigerian descent, that stole the show.
He netted a brace as England sealed a 6-2 win to start their campaign in Qatar on a high. On a night when talisman Harry Kane should be getting more goals, it was Saka who got more of the plaudits and the Man of the Match in the end.
Such is a testament to Saka’s unbelievable growth since making his breakthrough for Arsenal at the age of 17 in 2019. As he played a more prominent role for the Gunners under Unai Emery, it became apparent he would soon be snapped by England rather than Nigeria, and so it happened when he made his international bow against Wales in October 2020 – whom they face in their final Group B game in Qatar.
Saka has since played 21 times for England and has scored six goals, adding five assists. The 21-year-old continues to show he is developing and moving in the right trajectory for both club and country.
He has a hand in 10 goals (four goals, six assists) for Arsenal, all pivotal as the Gunners sit five points clear at the top of the Premier League table and look poised to bring the league title to the Emirates Stadium for the first time ever, their last title coming at the old and now-demolished Highbury in 2004.
After a shaky start at last year’s European championship, England came alive with Saka playing a very key part in the knockout phase, particularly against Germany in the Round of 16 and Denmark in the semi-finals.
Saka was sadly seen as a villain in the final against Italy at Wembley where he missed a penalty after a goalless 120 minutes and was unfairly subjected to racist abuse.
All of that has changed now with England’s woeful Uefa Nations League campaign behind them where they finished last in their League A group and subsequently got relegated to League B for the next edition in 2024.
Saka says it will be difficult to forget his ordeal at Euro 2020 but he is happy for the support he gets from coaching staff and teammates which are key to keeping him mentally strong.
“I am so happy and so proud. We got the win as well so it is a really special day. I feel in a good place. I feel the support and love from the fans, the coaching staff and my team-mates. That is all I need. I feel ready to give 100% and I will continue to do that every time I put the shirt on,” Saka said after the game against Iran.
“What happened at the Euros will live with me forever, but I am so blessed to have coaching staff at England and Arsenal to put their arms around me and support me and help me get back into a good place and go again. I want to get back to a place where I can do my best and make the nation proud.”
It is clear Saka is a very key cog for England and it’s not hard to understand why. He is very versatile and has the ability to create very good chances.
It’s no surprise he has provided more assists (35) than another Arsenal player since his breakthrough and that’s also down to his pace. Not forgetting he has a good eye for goal, evidenced by his two powerful strikes against Iran.
At this time, the phrase “it is coming home” is very common in England. It has been 66 years since that happened for the Three Lions, and while Southgate’s team were this close to making it happen at the Euros last year had it not been for unfortunate penalty shoot-out misses from Marcus Rashford, Saka and Jadon Sancho, the team still look solid and very united in the cause.
If it does happen come December 18 in Lusail, it is no doubt Saka would have, arguably, if not the biggest impact in the team and that is worth every ounce of celebration for a player that still has many years ahead of him to be the best of his generation.
