*Club domestic league appearances and goals, correct as of 18:46, 12 May 2024 (UTC) ‡ National team caps and goals, correct as of 21:56, 20 November 2023 (UTC)
Saka represented England at various youth levels before making his debut for the senior team in October 2020. He was part of England's squads for
UEFA Euro 2020, which England finished as runners-up, and the
2022 FIFA World Cup.
Early life
Bukayo Ayoyinka Temidayo Saka[6] was born on 5 September 2001[7] in
Ealing, Greater London, to
Yoruba Nigerian parents, Adenike and Yomi Saka,[8][9] the younger of two children. His parents emigrated to London from
Nigeria as economic migrants.[10] He attended Edward Betham Church of England Primary School[11] before
Greenford High School,[12] where he gained high grades in his
GCSEs, achieving four A*s and three As.[13] Prior to joining
Arsenal, Saka played youth football for local club Greenford Celtic.[14] In an interview, Saka stated the importance of his father, Yomi, in his footballing career: "He's a massive inspiration for me. From when I was young, he always kept me grounded, kept me humble."[15]
His name "Bukayo" originates from the
Yoruba language spoken in southern Nigeria, meaning "adds to happiness".[16]
Club career
Early career
Having previously played for youth teams of
Watford,[17] Saka joined Arsenal's Hale End academy[18] at the age of seven.[19]
In 2020, the
Arsenal U16 coach
Trevor Bumstead said: "Bukayo always stood out in the younger teams. He was a fantastic decision maker. He knew when to beat people and when to pass, as well as having brilliant physical attributes and really good character and personality."[20] Once he turned 17 years old, Saka signed a professional contract with Arsenal and promoted to the under-23 team.[18]
On 29 November 2018, Saka made his
first-team debut for Arsenal in their
UEFA Europa League match against
Vorskla Poltava, coming on as a 68th-minute
substitute for
Aaron Ramsey.[21] On 13 December, Saka made his first full home debut for Arsenal in their Europa League match against
Qarabağ.[22] On 1 January 2019, Saka made his debut in the
Premier League in a 4–1 win against
Fulham after coming on for
Alex Iwobi in the 83rd minute.[23] He became the first player born in 2001 to play in a Premier League match.[24] He was an unused substitute in the
2019 UEFA Europa League final 4–1 defeat against Chelsea on 29 May, receiving a runners-up medal.[25]
2019–2020: Breakthrough and FA Cup win
Saka scored his first goal on 19 September, curling a fine effort from long range into the corner away to German team
Eintracht Frankfurt in the
Europa League. He finished the match with two
assists also to his name in a 3–0 win.[26] Saka was rewarded for his efforts in Germany with his first Premier League start, in a 3–2 home win over
Aston Villa. He then registered an assist for
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, setting up Arsenal's equaliser in a 1–1 draw at
Old Trafford against
Manchester United.[27]
Following injuries to
Sead Kolašinac and
Kieran Tierney, Saka began to establish himself as a regular in the Arsenal first team at
left-back. On 27 January 2020, he scored the opening goal in Arsenal's 2–1
FA Cup fourth round victory at
AFC Bournemouth after finishing a 22-pass move, as well as assisting the second goal, scored by
Eddie Nketiah. The goal was later voted goal of the round by
BBC Sport.[28] After a two-week mid-season break, Saka marked his return to action at home to
Newcastle United with an assist for
Nicolas Pépé's goal.[29] He then set up
Alexandre Lacazette for his ninth assist of the season in a 1–0 win away to
Olympiacos in the Europa League.[30] He then hit double figures for assists that season after crossing in for Nketiah in a thrilling 3–2 home win against
Everton.[31]
On 1 July 2020, Saka signed a new long-term contract with Arsenal.[32] Head coach
Mikel Arteta praised Saka and said: "I think he represents every value that this football club stands for. He has come through the academy, and earned his respect with hard work and accountability and you can see the progression that he is having as a player but as well as a person."[33] On 4 July 2020, he scored his first Premier League goal for the club against
Wolverhampton Wanderers, with a half volley beating goalkeeper
Rui Patrício, in a 2–0 win.[34] He was an unused substitute as Arsenal beat
Chelsea 2–1 to win their 14th FA Cup.[35] He came third in the vote for the
Arsenal Player of the Season award in the 2019–20 season.[36]
2020–2022: Back-to-back Arsenal Player of the Season
On 26 December 2020, Saka scored on his 40th Premier League appearance for Arsenal in a 3–1 home win over Chelsea.[40] Due to his performances in December 2020, he later voted as the Arsenal Player of the Month.[41] He was voted as the Player of the Month again in January 2021, having scored three goals and one assist. His goal against
West Bromwich Albion was voted as the runner-up of Arsenal's Goal of the Month.[42][43] Saka was named Player of the Month for the third time in February after contributing one goal and two assists.[44]
On 6 March 2021, Saka made his 50th Premier League appearance for Arsenal in a 1–1 away draw at
Burnley; he is the second youngest player in club history to reach that milestone.[45] On 15 April, Saka scored a goal and helped Arsenal to a 4–0 victory over
Slavia Prague in the quarter-final of the
Europa League. After his fine performance, he was named as the Europa League Player of the Week.[46][47] He finished the season with seven goals and seven assists in 46 appearances across all competitions, as he was voted Arsenal Player of the Season,[48] having come in third the previous campaign. He was also named in the shortlist for the PFA Young Player of the Season, eventually won by
Manchester City’s
Phil Foden.[49]
Saka scored his first goal of the
new campaign in a 6–0
EFL Cup second round win away to West Bromwich Albion at
The Hawthorns in late August.[50] He scored his first
Premier League goal of the season in September against
Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium, whilst also providing an assist for
Emile Smith Rowe’s goal in a 3–1 win.[51] On 30 October, Saka made his 100th appearance for Arsenal, marking the occasion with an assist in a 2–0 away win at
Leicester City.[52] On 26 December, Saka scored his first brace as Arsenal beat
Norwich City 5–0 at
Carrow Road. In doing so, Saka became the second youngest player, after
Nicolas Anelka, to score 10 Premier League goals for Arsenal.[53]
On 19 March 2022, Saka scored Arsenal's 2000th Premier League goal in history, as the Gunners defeated
Aston Villa 1–0 away at
Villa Park.[54] As a result of his performances during March 2022, which included two goals and an assist, Saka was nominated for the
Premier League Player of the Month award.[55] He scored his tenth Premier League goal of the season (for the first time in his career) on 20 April, in a 4–2 away victory against
Chelsea.[56]
Saka played a pivotal role for Arsenal during the
2022–23 season, scoring crucial goals and providing assists as Arsenal aimed to win their first Premier League title since
2003–04.[62] On 20 August 2022, he made his 100th Premier League appearance in a 3–0 win at Bournemouth, becoming the second youngest Arsenal player to reach that milestone.[63] He scored first goal of the season in a 3–1 away defeat against
Manchester United on 4 September.[64] In their next Premier League match on 18 September, Saka would provide two assists for teammates
William Saliba and
Fábio Vieira in a 3–0 away victory at
Brentford, a result that would sent Arsenal to the top of the table.[65] In October, Saka would score in three consecutive matches for the first time in his career, with a
brace against
Liverpool on 9 October, and goals against
Bodø/Glimt in the
Europa League and
Leeds United in the Premier League on 13 October and 16 October, respectively.[66][67][68]
On 26 December 2022, Saka scored the equaliser in Arsenal's first match since the conclusion of the World Cup, a 3–1 win over
West Ham United. He scored again in their next match against
Brighton & Hove Albion, a 4–2 away victory.[69][70] On 15 January 2023, Saka provided the assist for
Martin Ødegaard's goal against
Tottenham Hotspur as Arsenal sealed their first away league win against their
rivals since 2014.[71][72] A week later on 22 January, Saka scored from long-range in an eventual 3–2 home win over Manchester United.[73] This goal was later voted as Arsenal's Goal of the Month for January 2023.[74]
On 13 March, Saka received the Men's Young Player of the Year award at the 2023 London Football Awards.[75][76] He was then awarded the
Premier League Player of the Month award for March 2023.[77] On 23 May, Saka signed a long-term contract with Arsenal, committing him to the club until 2027.[78][79] At the end of the season, he was nominated for the Premier League Player of the Season, Premier League Young Player of the Season, and
FWA Footballer of the Year awards.[80][81][82] Saka was named the PFA Young Player of the Year for the 2022–23 season.[83]
On 12 August 2023, Saka's goal helped seal a 2–1 win over
Nottingham Forest in Arsenal's first match of the
2023–24 Premier League season.[84] On 26 August, Saka made his 83rd consecutive Premier League appearance for Arsenal against Fulham, which set a club record.[85] On 20 September, he scored his first Champions League goal and provided an assist in a 4–0 win over
PSV on his debut in the competition.[86] On 28 October 2023, Saka
captained Arsenal for the first time in a 5–0 home win against
Sheffield United.[87] He made his 200th appearance for the club on 5 December in a 4–3 win over
Luton Town at
Kenilworth Road, becoming the fourth youngest Arsenal player to reach the milestone.[88][89] On 11 February 2024, Saka surpassed 50 goals for Arsenal with a brace in a 6–0 away win over West Ham, becoming the youngest Arsenal player to do so in the Premier League.[90]
International career
Youth career
Saka made his debut for the
England national under-16 team on 24 August 2016 as a substitute in a 3–1 away win over
Romania in a
friendly.[91] He made his first start two days later in a 2–1 defeat to the same opposition in another friendly, in which he scored.[91] Saka was part of the squad for the 2017
UEFA Under-16 Development Tournament, making two appearances as England finished the tournament as runners-up.[91] He finished his under-16 career with six appearances and one goal from 2016 to 2017.[91]
His first involvement with the
England under-17 team came in the 2017 FA International Tournament, making his debut on 18 August 2017 in their opening match, a 3–2 home win over
Turkey, in which he scored.[92] Saka made one more appearance at the tournament, which England finished as runners-up.[92] He was part of the team for the 2018 Torneio Internacional do Algarve, making two appearances as England ranked in third place.[92] Saka was named in the team for the
2018 UEFA European Under-17 Championship in England, and appeared in all five of the team's matches at the tournament.[92] England were eliminated 6–5 on a penalty shoot-out by the
Netherlands in the semi-final after a 0–0
extra-time draw, although Saka scored his
penalty kick in the shoot-out.[93] He made nine appearances for the under-17s, scoring once, from 2017 to 2018.[92]
Saka was part of the
England under-18 team for the 2018 Limoges Tournament in France, making his debut in England's opening match, a 3–0 win over the Netherlands on 5 September 2018.[94] He scored the winning goal with a penalty in England's 2–1 win over
France on 9 September, which saw England win the tournament.[95] England won their three matches at the tournament, with Saka appearing in each match.[94] He went on to finish his under-18 career with one goal from five appearances, all of which came in 2018.[94]
Saka was named in the 26-man squad for
UEFA Euro 2020. On 2 June, in a friendly against
Austria, Saka scored his first senior international goal, the only goal in a 1–0 win.[103] He started in England's third
Euro 2020 group stage match on 22 June against the
Czech Republic, and was named the
man of the match.[104] On 11 July, in the
tournament final against
Italy, Saka was brought on as a substitute for
Kieran Trippier. Following extra time, Saka was chosen to take the team's fifth penalty during the subsequent penalty shoot-out, which was his first penalty kick at senior level.[105] Saka's effort was saved by goalkeeper
Gianluigi Donnarumma and, as a result, Italy won the shoot-out and the tournament.[106] Saka faced racist abuse online after missing the penalty.[107][108] On 15 July, Saka said that he "knew instantly the kind of hate" he was going to receive after his penalty was saved, adding: "... and that is a sad reality that your powerful platforms are not doing enough to stop these messages".[109]
On 5 September 2023, Saka was named England Men's Player of the Year for a second successive season having scored seven goals in ten internationals during the 2022–23 season.[117]
Personal life
Saka's favourite footballer is Thierry Henry and he cites
Alexis Sánchez as an influence, saying he even tried to copy Sánchez's boots when he was an academy player. Among past teammates, Saka said
David Luiz helped him the most in his career, saying "he went out of his way" to help a lot of Arsenal youngsters "on and off the pitch".[118]
Saka is a practising
Christian and has said that he reads the Bible every night.[119][120]
In March 2024, Saka launched his own range of
peri-peri sauce named 'PERi-PERi Saka' at the
Nando's restaurant chain.[121]
Career statistics
Club
As of match played 12 May 2024
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
^"Issue 33 – 17th June 2019"(PDF). The Edward Betham C of E Primary School.
Archived(PDF) from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 2 December 2021.