Gareth Southgate’s No.7 is already the best-loved player in the squad and has exactly what it takes to be an all-time great
As soon as Luke Shaw heard the question, he immediately started writing his answer with a big grin on his face. He had had been asked by Sky Sports who he most looked forward to seeing whenever he went on England duty and did not hesitate in writing down Bukayo Saka, affectionally referring to him as ‘Saks’.
“If you asked everyone from England that question they would say the same thing. He’s just the best guy ever. I love him, I had to pick him,” Shaw explained. “He makes everyone smile, makes everyone happy. He’s funny, everything about him, he’s brilliant. His parents have done a very good job of raising someone like that. Honestly, he’s one of the best people in football.”
Shaw’s friendship with Saka goes way back to when the Arsenal youngster first joined the squad in 2020, and at the last Euros he declared his love for him. Speaking to England’s in-house media team, Shaw explained how he viewed Saka like a family member.
“I would just love it if he was my child. I love him like that. I would love him to be my brother. He’s so cool, he’s so funny,” he said. “He makes everyone laugh – and he doesn’t meant it. He’s not a loud person but the way he is and the way he speaks is so funny. Someone like that in the camp is good to have and he gets everyone laughing. We all love him and appreciate the way he is.”
Saka’s likeability grew further with the release of the ‘All or Nothing: Arsenal’ documentary, and he has long been a player that even rival supporters can warm to. Now, after dragging England back from certain defeat against Switzerland with a stunning goal and then exorcising his penalty shootout demons to help send them into the semi-finals of Euro 2024, he has become the nation’s darling, a thoroughly likeable guy and an unbelievable footballer to boot.
Lighting up every game
Saka has been among England’s best players at the Euros, lighting up an otherwise grim tournament from the Three Lions’ point of view. It was his deflected cross which led to Jude Bellingham heading in England’s opening goal of the tournament against Serbia, and although he never got a touch, he contributed to the chaos which led to Harry Kane scoring against Denmark.
He also put the ball in the net against Slovenia, with the goal ruled due to Phil Foden being offside in the build-up, while he put in a selfless display against Slovakia, mucking in at left-back and right wing-back.
But he truly rose to the occasion for England’s toughest game yet against Switzerland. He terrorised Michel Aebischer, who, even before the half-time whistle had sounded, had become the most dribbled past opponent in a single game at the tournament.
The only downside was Saka got no support from Kane, meaning he had to take matters into his own hands to find the equaliser. It was a goal that showed his intelligence as well as his courage.
Only failing once
And speaking of courage, it would have been easy for Saka to shirk responsibility in the shootout given his failure to score in the Euro 2020 final against Italy and the social media abuse he faced as a consequence. But he relished the chance for redemption. He stepped up and hit the ball in the same area as he had against Gianluigi Donnarumma, but this time Yann Sommer had been sent the wrong way.
His circumstances have been compared to Stuart Pearce scoring against Spain in Euro 1996 after missing against West Germany in the 1990 World Cup. Pearce looked angry when he celebrated that moment, but save for a brief moment when he cupped his ears, Saka just started smiling again.
His post-match interview also betrayed his sense of calm. “I think for me, it’s something I embrace. You can fail once but you have a choice whether you put yourself in that position again and I’m a guy who is going to put myself in that position,” he said. “I believed in myself and when the ball hit the net, I was a very happy man.”
Staying grounded
Saka always looks like a happy man and he has made the nation happy, too. And that should be no surprise as the name Bukayo means ‘adds happiness’ in the language of the Yoruba tribe in Nigeria, from which his family hail. Shaw praised Saka’s parents – his mother is a chartered accountant, his father a businessman – and they have been getting more attention after their son’s heroics.
“They kept him grounded when he was growing up. His dad would make him do his homework in the car as they were travelling up and down the country to games,” Saka’s PE teacher, Mark Harvey, told The Times.
It is well known that Saka scored high in his GCSEs, the national exams English students take aged 16. He has a knack for literacy, demonstrated in his love for challenging his team-mates in spelling bees and in a mock version of the television show ‘Countdown’.
“He would always see a level or two above what was happening. He had a really clear vision of what he wanted to do. He also had an incredible work ethic – and never shied away from constructive criticism,” Harvey added.
Difference-maker
When Southgate was talking about Saka after the shootout win, he also sounded like a teacher who had watched his star-pupil grow.
“It was so brave from Bukayo – he is one of our best and we were never in question he would take one. But we all knew what he went through,” he said. “I love them all but I had to give him an extra-big hug. I know myself these experiences shape you. He has come back stronger, still resilient and loved. He’s a dream to work with. He’s a fabulous boy. Such a good professional, so much fun to be around. He does an amazing job for the team with and without the ball.”
As well as being a nice boy with a big smile, Saka is proving to be England’s difference-maker. He has now scored 12 goals for his country, only trailing all-time top scorer Kane in the current squad. He has eight years on Kane and it is not unrealistic to imagine him catching the Bayern Munich star one day.
Closing in on Beckham
He is well on his way to becoming England’s greatest winger, too. His main rivals for that position in the modern era are David Beckham and Raheem Sterling, plus Sir Stanley Matthews and World Cup winner Martin Peters from the 1950s and 1960s, respectively.
In just 38 games for England, Saka already has more goals than Matthews, who has capped 55 times. He is five adrift of Beckham, who played 115 times for the Three Lions, and already has more goals at major tournaments than the Manchester United icon.
He is eight behind Peters and Sterling, meanwhile. Peters’ role in England’s only World Cup win gives him a certain status, but he played at just two major tournaments, scoring in the 1966 final against West Germany and the quarter-final defeat in 1970. Saka is playing in his third tournament and has made a mark on each.
Sterling is the closest comparison, though the Chelsea forward, who played in five tournaments but has not been involved in the England squad since the last World Cup, only made his impact at the last Euros, when he scored three times. Helping England triumph in Germany would be enough to take Saka above Sterling in the eyes of many.
Beckham’s longevity and many years as captain sealed his place in the public’s hearts, but his major tournament showings can be boiled down to a brilliant free-kick against Colombia and a red card against Argentina in World Cup 1998; scoring a penalty against Argentina in World Cup 2002 but crucially giving the ball away against Brazil; skying a penalty in the shootout elimination by Portugal in Euro 2004 and scoring another great free-kick against Ecuador in 2006 before another exit on penalties.
Individual brilliance
Saka’s Euro 2020 may well be remembered for him being barged over by Giorgio Chiellini and then his penalty miss, but he was one of England’s best players at the World Cup in Qatar, scoring three times while being the brightest player in the quarter-final defeat to France. He has been England’s most consistent attacking player in Germany and, like Bellingham in the previous round, has come to their rescue with a moment of individual brilliance.
The Netherlands will be his hardest opponents yet and he will be coming up against four Premier League rivals he knows all too well on his right side, in top scorer Cody Gakpo, Nathan Ake, Virgil van Dijk and Micky van de Ven. But he has the individual skill and intelligence to get the better of them.
If he can come close to repeating his performance from the quarter-finals and send England to the final, his status as the country’s greatest winger will be all but secured. But whatever happens, Saka’s place in the country’s hearts is already guaranteed.
Source Goal.com
