Bukayo Saka shocks kids at old primary school with surprise visit as emotional Arsenal ace calls it ‘beautiful feeling’
BUKAYO SAKA dreams of bringing the Premier League AND the World Cup back to his old primary school next year.
The Gunners star recently visited his old stomping ground Edward Bethan School in Greenford – where he has a mural of himself on a wall in the playground – sitting in on classes and catching up with his old teachers.
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Arsenal star Bukayo Saka visited his old school
Saka went to his old stomping ground Edward Bethan School in Greenford
It is a place that holds happy memories for the 24-year-old, breaking records for the football team – which included them retiring his No10 shirt – while making his way through the Hale End academy from the age of seven.
He hopes to make new memories there by returning to show off two of the biggest trophies in world football to the current pupils before the start of next season.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal are currently four points clear at the Prem summit after nine games, while Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions are dreaming of ending 60 years of hurt in the USA, Canada and Mexico next summer after securing their World Cup places this month.
And when asked if he could be returning to the Edward Bethan School as a Prem and World Cup winner, Saka said: “That’s my prayer and it’s doable.
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“You can’t really do anything if you don’t believe it. It definitely won’t be easy but I believe it’s possible.”
After finishing second in their last three Prem campaigns, Saka knows that now is the time to change the narrative and prove to the country that this Arsenal team are ready to jump over that final hurdle.
That is regardless of the outside noise aimed at their style of play, the £250million spent on eight new signings this summer and a reliance on set-pieces.
Saka continued: “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.
“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.
“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.
“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. 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.
“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 to the next step.”
An early hamstring injury meant Saka missed Tuchel‘s first few England camps, but he returned to help them confirm World Cup qualification with a 5-0 win out in Latvia on October 14, as well as solidify his position in the starting XI.
World Cup dreams
England head across the Atlantic as clear favourites, having reached two Euros finals on the bounce, with a disappointing quarter-final exit at the hands of France at the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Saka said: “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 [the World Cup].
“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.
‘We can definitely go far’
“[Tuchel] Is 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.
“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.
“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.
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“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.”
For more information on the Chase football coaching programme, visit: https://www.chase.co.uk/gb/en/chase-football-coaching-programme
Saka attended classes and spoke to students
Saka would love to bring the Premier League and World Cup trophy to his old school
