Saka ready to take the next step with Arsenal and England
There was a knock on the door and then came the gasps and cheers. The children of Edward Betham School had been presenting their projects on role models to some of the assembled teachers at the school – within seconds of arriving at the primary school in Greenford you quickly understand there was only ever going to be one.After all, the pupils see their idol everyday on the mural in the playground – the smile is unmistakeable – but no one was expecting Bukayo Saka to walk into their lesson on a Wednesday afternoon.Over the next hour Saka listens, laughs, reminisces (naming every teacher he ever had) and answers some pretty tough questions from the kids that no journalist would dare to ask. All of this less than 24 hours after the Arsenal star had helped England secure their place at next year’s World Cup and having got home at 6am that morning.Within minutes, observing from the back of the classroom, you quickly learn that as proud as the school is of their Arsenal and England superstar, for Saka the feeling is mutual – the place and the values it represents helped shape him.
“I think it’s always a beautiful feeling, coming in and seeing the kids react like that, Saka told Sky Sports.
• The Chase football coaching programme is helping to create more inspirational role models for children around the UK by providing fully funded access to introductory coaching qualifications and professional coaching bursaries for people from low-income backgrounds across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
For more information on the Chase football coaching programme, visit: https://www.chase.co.uk/gb/en/chase-football-coaching-programme/
“You kind of anticipate it, but when you’re actually in the moment, it feels sweeter. I’ve come back quite a bit to do a few projects here, but I think today has definitely been my favourite. The kids’ presentations, hearing all the things they had to say was really beautiful.
“The school shaped me and you just need to go around it and see what’s all around it to understand the values that they teach here. You can probably see them in me as well.”It may not come as a surprise that his fondest memories of his school days involve football – his coach had to recall the promise he made to her, aged six, that if he made it big he was going to buy her a Lamborghini – but he clearly remembers others.
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Saka scores England’s third goal after 20 minutes against Wales
“I’d probably say making history is one of the best moments, because my team and my brother’s team was the first team to win a trophy here and they retired my shirt. I had a No 10, so no one’s ever wearing it again.”We talk about how awe-inspiring it is for these kids, that we are sitting on a bench in his school playground when less than 24 hours earlier he was helping guide his country to the World Cup.”It sounds crazy, but that is my life, and everything is a blessing,” he reflects.
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Saka with Sky Sports News’ Gail Davis in front of his mural in the playground at Edward Betham School
“I don’t take anything for granted, and I’m always grateful to God for being in the position that I’m in today.”I feel like it’s kind of overlooked in this country due to the talent that we have. It’s kind of expected for us to make it so it’s not really made a big deal of, but there’s massive players, big players in the history of the game that have never played in a World Cup.”It’s amazing that we’re going back there, and hopefully I get the chance to play in my second World Cup, and I can go further than I did in the last one.”‘England building something ahead of World Cup’
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Saka has praised England boss Thomas Tuchel
We talk about the talent at Thomas Tuchel’s disposal and how he feels England are “building something good”.It has taken some time for the players to understand the workings of the former Chelsea man but he has impressed the more Saka has worked with him.He said: “I think he’s a top coach, tactical understanding, and with the people as well, he’s very demanding, and he knows how to get the best out of the players.
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Saka visited his former primary school to speak to pupils about the importance of role models
“Every player in this country has the opportunity to be at the World Cup, and he’s made it an environment where he’s made it open to anyone. How much do you want it? How well can you perform? So it’s a competitive environment, but I really believe he’s going to get the best out of the players, and, at the end of the day, we’re here for the country, trying to make the country win. That’s what’s in everyone’s heads right now.”Tuchel has also made it clear in his selections that the “team” goes above everything else and Saka takes him back to the values taught to him at school.”I feel like it’s the best way, I feel like if you work as a team, especially with the talent and quality that we’ve got, we can definitely go far in this World Cup.”Before that, Saka could have some of the most exciting and rewarding few months of his club career with Arsenal now at the top of the Premier League after an excellent start to the season.”I feel like, when you’re an Arsenal player, there’s just always constant talk about where you’re finishing and how you’re performing,” he said. “Sometimes I feel like it’s even over-analysed, but this year I feel we’re a very strong group and we’ve got a lot of quality.
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Rob Dorsett gives his thoughts on which players have impressed Tuchel as England sealed their spot at next year’s World Cup
“We’ve suffered a lot of injuries already, but the players that have come in have shown that we can all keep the level at the highest, and that’s what it’s going to take for us to go all the way.”I think that’s where we’ve slipped off in a few seasons, but this season, we’ve got that and it’s making me really believe we can do it.”I’ve been in the title race the last three years now and finished second in all of them. Just the understanding from that and what I’ve learnt is that now it’s not so important. It’s in April, that’s when you need to be there and that’s where you need to try and be top.”Now it’s about standing around it, building your momentum and then going on a run of performances.”‘Eze has fitted in at Arsenal like a glove’
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Eberechi Eze celebrates with his team-mates after scoring for Arsenal against former side Crystal Palace
Part of getting it right has been a number of high-profile arrivals to Arsenal this summer, including Eberechi Eze who Saka has loved playing with.”He’s fitted in like a glove,” said Saka. “He’s happy, he’s playing and he’s playing very well as well, which is important.”I’m happy to have him at Arsenal and looking forward to what he’s going to bring to us this season.”It’s quite sweet when he signed and there’s like about 20 of his family in the picture. You can see what it means to him to be at Arsenal and to his family as well. We spoke about the pictures and all the other videos across social media and that’s what I love, having a player that wants to be here and loves the club.”He’s going to give everything for this club and that’s what you need.”It has been a slightly different transition into Mikel Arteta’s squad for one of Arsenal’s other big summer arrivals in Viktor Gyokeres.
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Arsenal’s Viktor Gyoekeres celebrates after scoring his first goal against Atletico Madrid
However, Saka talked about how well the striker has settled into the group and into the team, but he does concede the team need to think differently with him on the pitch.”I think as a team last season we didn’t play with a striker like him, we played with Kai (Havertz), who’s a different player to him,” he said.”So, it’s about us trying to adapt to his game a bit and try and help him to create a few more chances but at the same time, I feel like he’s getting more and more settled each game and he’s playing well and the goals will come. I’m not worried. I don’t think anyone in the club is worried. He’s a top player.”Saka hails Arteta’s impact
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Arsenal’s win against Crystal Palace in the Premier League
As the children finally drift out of the playground, Saka and I talk about the idols he looked up to at their age – in football there was one who stood above the rest in Cristiano Ronaldo. His work ethic, his longevity, his winning outlook and away from football it was his father for everything he instilled in Saka every day of his life.It is hard not to think about the impact that Arteta, who has guided Saka from the age of 19, has also had on the man and player sat in front of me.”I think the relationship’s always been really good with Mikel. He’s always put a lot of trust in me from a young age until now. I’m always grateful for that and for the fact he always believed in me.”So, there’s not much more I can ask from my coach. For me, he does what he needs to do. I don’t need much as a player. I think naturally he’s evolved. With the different experiences he’s gone through, the ups and downs, and I think he’s a better coach for it.”
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Saka celebrates scoring against West Ham
Still only 24, Saka has already hit 100 goal involvements for Arsenal. He is in the company of some club legends with the likes of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Ian Wright on that list.Does Saka know some of the names above him?Of course he is aware but in his very humbling way Saka just shrugs. “It’s amazing, but I don’t know, I feel like I’m always searching for more. I think that is definitely a big milestone, and it’s important to me as well because, of course, it’s something that is important to me in having a legacy at Arsenal and trying to make history there.”So it’s nice to have those milestones as well. I feel like in Arsenal Football Club, I’ve been there since… I think I was even going there when I was here. So I’ve been at the club for so long, and I’ve gone from a boy to a man there.”At the same time, I want to help win the biggest of trophies as well in my time at Arsenal. So that’s the next steps. We’ve had a lot of the group together for many years now, and we’ve been through a lot of ups and downs together, and now we just want to go the next step.”
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Saka took part in a Q&A with children, alongside his ex-headmistress and sports teacher
As the interview draws to an end and the queue of teachers line up to have their picture taken with Saka before he heads home we talk about when he might be back at his old school.Imagine the next time you return and it is as a Premier League champion and a World Cup winner?The Saka smile is beaming. “That’s my prayer and it’s doable” he said.”You can’t really do anything if you don’t believe it. It definitely won’t be easy but I believe it’s possible.”As I walk past Saka’s mural and out of the school gate having spent a few hours with the Arsenal man it is hard to argue that someone who pushes themselves in the way he does, who strives for excellence and has overcome challenges to be the best version of himself, is the perfect person to encourage and inspire the next generation of Edward Betham pupils and well beyond.Watch Arsenal vs Brighton in the Carabao Cup live on Sky Sports on Wednesday; kick-off 7.45pm.England star Bukayo Saka visited his former primary school to speak to pupils about the importance of role models and reunite with a pair of teachers who inspired him at the start of his journey The Chase football coaching programme is helping to create more inspirational role models for children around the UK by providing fully funded access to introductory coaching qualifications and professional coaching bursaries for people from low-income backgrounds across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales For more information on the Chase football coaching programme, visit: https://www.chase.co.uk/gb/en/chase-football-coaching-programme/
已发布: 2025-10-29 08:00:00
