Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has made his 200th senior appearance for the Gunners in tonight’s Premier League fixture against Luton Town.
Mikel Arteta’s side travel to newly-promoted Hatters in the second of two Tuesday night matches as Wolves host Burnley. Arsenal begin the evening top of the Premier League, two points clear of second-placed Liverpool.
They have so far won ten and lost only once this season, drawing three. Luton meanwhile are 17th in the standings, hovering two points above the relegation zone with just two wins from 14. The two sides kick off tonight at 8.15pm at Luton’s Kenilworth Road ground.
As Saka starts on the right of a front three for the Gunners, he has become the second youngest Arsenal player to reach 200 games in all competitions – at 22 years and 91 days.
Only Cliff Bastin reached 200 matches for the North London club faster. Bastin scored 178 goals in 395 appearances between 1929-1947, and was Arsenal’s all-time top scorer until as recently as 1997. The prolific winger was eventually overtaken, first by Ian Wright then Thierry Henry, but remains third on the all-time list.
🟡 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗠𝙉𝙀𝙒𝙎 🔵
🔙 White returns
🧱 Kiwior at the back
⚖️ Havertz in the middleLet's do this, Gunners 💪 pic.twitter.com/dzxbKjxodO
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 5, 2023
Bukayo Saka’s Career To Date
Born in Ealing in West London to Nigerian parents, Saka initially played youth football for Watford, before joining Arsenal’s academy aged seven.
The 22-year-old made his senior debut on 29 November 2018, replacing Aaron Ramsay in the 68th minute of Arsenal’s UEFA Europa League clash with Vorskla Poltava.
His home debut followed on 13 December that year against Qarabag, also in the Europa League. Saka’s Premier League debut came on New Year’s Day in January 2019. In a 4-1 win against Fulham he replaced Alex Iwobi, becoming the first player born in 2001 to play in the Premier League.
Saka so far has 46 goals and 51 assists to his name ahead of his 200th Arsenal appearance. Should he continue at his current strike rate, he would reach Bastin’s 395 appearances with 91 goals and 101 assists for the club.
The England International has already amassed 32 senior caps, scoring 11 goals for his country. He made his international debut in October 2020, starting in a 3-0 win over Wales at Wembley.
Saka has made a strong start to the 2023/24 season already, with eight goals and 11 assists in 20 club appearances so far. His tally makes him Arsenal’s top scorer this campaign, one ahead of club captain Martin Ødegaard’s seven to date.
Tackling Adversity
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for the youngster, though. In the final of Euro 2020, Saka missed the decisive kick for England as they lost the penalty shootout to Italy. He was then subjected to vile racist abuse alongside teammates Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho – with one man jailed following a police investigation.
Despite the abuse, Saka was not deterred from taking penalties. He has scored six of the seven spot-kicks he’s taken since the European Championships, never shying away from the responsibility.
Speaking after the final defeat to Italy, he said: “I knew instantly the kind of hate that I was about to receive and that is a sad reality that your powerful platforms are not doing enough to stop these messages.
“There is no place for racism or hate of any kind in football or in any area of society and to the majority of people coming together to call out the people sending these messages, by taking action and reporting these comments to the police and by driving out the hate by being kind to one another, we will win.
“Love always wins. Bukayo Saka.”
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