Arsenal star Bukayo Saka signalled the perfect present as he marked his 20th birthday with a man-of-the-match showing for England against Andorra. Following the game, Saka was left reminiscing over a faultless night at Wembley.
Bukayo Saka said: “Yeah, yeah the perfect birthday present for me. I’m really happy we got the win and that I celebrate my birthday like this. This is what I dream about to play at Wembley, in front of my friends and family, a crowd and score on my 20th birthday – so really happy.”
Meanwhile, following a summer that saw the Gunners’ wideman subjected to horrendous abuse, Saka was widely applauded by England fans – whilst also having a banner unveiled in his honour alongside Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford. He saved special praise for England fans for helping him overcome the harrowing experience after missing a penalty against Italy during the Euro 2020 final.
Bukayo Saka said: “I’m really happy with the reception everyone gave me, it really shows how proud they are of me and I think that meant a lot for me and made me want to give my all and obviously I’m happy that we got the win. I think it means a lot, it really made a difference for me [response following penalty miss] only just now I can hear so many fans cheering my name so it means everything to me and shows that everyone supports me through thick and thin so it’s nice.”