Bukayo Saka appeared genuinely shocked when he was presented with the England Player of the Year award on Friday
Bukayo Saka was voted England’s top performer after he finished ahead of England captain and runner-up Harry Kane and third-place finisher Declan Rice a year ago. Saka, 21 years old, made nine international appearances for the Three Lions this season and scored three goals, including a man-of-the-match performance in England’s 4-0 win over Andorra on his birthday in September.
And now, a year later, the Arsenal winger has received the perfect vote of confidence from fans as England prepares to face Italy on Friday night in the Nations League. Saka missed a crucial penalty against the Azzurri during the Euro 2020 final at Wembley and had to demonstrate resilience for both club and country in order to recover.
The teenager won Arsenal’s Player of the Season title for the second consecutive season and was nominated for the Kopa Trophy, which is awarded to the world’s finest player under the age of 21.
Saka was visibly stunned while winning the England Player of the Year title, which was delivered by a bunch of amateur footballers during a sham press conference.
“No way!” he said in surprise as the trophy was presented to him.
I honestly did not anticipate this. I am humbled.
“I’m so thrilled that I cannot express it in words. It’s an honor to get this prize, and that’s about all I can say. To be selected to play for your country is another level of honor and self-respect. There are so many kids that want to play football for teams, and it’s incredibly difficult, so to be selected to play for your country is a tremendous honor.
Therefore, I am ecstatic every time I get to come here, put on the jersey, and play at Wembley Stadium in front of all the supporters.
It’s a wonderful sensation.