Bukayo Saka has looked back on his career to date ahead of the first north London derby of the season at the Emirates Stadium, and the Arsenal star has reflected on his emotions as a young boy
Mikel Arteta and Bukayo Saka have worked together for almost six years(Image: Getty Images)
Arsenal starboy Bukayo Saka has reflected on his career as the Gunners prepare for a north London derby. Mikel Arteta’s side will hope they can extend their lead at the top of the Premier League on Sunday.
Saka has been involved in the Arsenal system since joining the club’s Hale End academy at just seven years old. Since then, the 24-year-old has grown into one of Arteta’s most important players and is often seen wearing the captain’s armband on the pitch.
The Ealing-born winger made his Arsenal debut roughly a year before Arteta arrived. Now, having played under the Gunners boss for nearly six years, Saka has developed into one of England’s top players.
Professionally, Saka has only played for one club – Arsenal. Despite his success in the Premier League and on the European stage, the club’s No.7 hasn’t forgotten where it all began.
Speaking to BBC Sport’s Kelly Somers, Saka said: “Playing in my back garden with my brother and my dad. It was 2 v 1, actually. It was me against them, and they’re both older than me.
“I would never lose. I would not accept it. I would cry, I would do anything, and that started young.”
Bukayo Saka made his Premier League debut for Arsenal as a replacement for Alex Iwobi(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
When asked if he could remember his first team, Saka didn’t hesitate: “Greenford Celtic. I remember everything, from the kit to the games. The kit was green stripes with white stripes – it had like a Celtic logo.
“We used to play in a local park, after the game – boots muddied completely and you’d have to slap them against the trees. Proper football. I remember everything. It was a really important chapter of my life and I enjoyed it.”
Saka was then asked when he realised he was good enough to take his love of football further. He replied: “You can be humble and also believe that you’re good as well. I think there’s nothing wrong with both and they can both be together.
“And I think I had that from young, but I just never thought about it. I was just enjoying the game and I was good at it. So it made it even more fun.”
One of the most important decisions a young footballer can make is choosing the right club. It’s a choice that can shape an entire career. But for Saka, it was always going to be Arsenal.
He explained: “I remember my dad telling me I got scouted because it was different… you got a scout card – scouts would have come to watch you at a local team… and they gave my dad a card and said: ‘Call me, we’ll set up a trial.’
“So I remember first coming into Hale End – my first trial. I didn’t even feel an ounce of fear. I was just like, ‘I’m just going to play football, just enjoy it’ and I played so good. I think I trialled at the B team. I played so good they put me in the A team, and from there signed and I’ve been at Arsenal ever since.
“Yeah [it was always Arsenal]. Well at that point of my career, the decisions were more made by your parents. You’re just a kid, you don’t really, do you know what I’m saying? My dad made it clear to me ‘Arsenal is the club I want you at’, and I said: ‘OK, let’s go.'”
This Sunday, Saka will look to do what every aspiring Arsenal youngster dreams of – beat Tottenham Hotspur in the north London derby.
