Back
in the very early days at the Hale End Academy, Bukayo Saka received words of
advice that have stuck with him ever since.
“It was something one of my first coaches said that I always think about,” he explains. “He said to me, ‘If you don’t shoot, you don’t score,’ and you can take that in different ways.
“In a game if you take it literally – if you
don’t shoot then of course you have no chance of scoring. But also I feel like
you can take it in other ways and apply to whatever you do.
“Basically if you don’t take a chance, or if
you don’t want to take risks, then you limit yourself in terms of success in
certain areas. For example if you don’t want to step up to take a penalty, or
if you don’t want to take a free-kick, you will never score them. So that’s
what I mean: if you don’t shoot, you don’t score.”
It’s a philosophy that has served Bukayo well, ever since he first stepped through the doors at Hale End aged eight back in 2010, right through to breaking through to the first team aged 17, to starring for his country and regularly leading out Arsenal as captain.
His
fearless approach to the game is evident on the pitch. It’s a common sight to
see our No. 7 surrounded by two, three, four opposition players whenever he
picks up possession. But it’s equally common that he delivers an end product.
Go
back and watch footage of a young Bukayo in our youth teams, and it was a
similar story. His approach to the game hasn’t changed, but as he has learned
and gained experience, he has been able to develop his considerable skillset to
reach new heights year on year.
So
how has he managed it? What is his attitude to learning and who have been the
key figures along his journey? It all starts, he said, from his dad.
“My dad is probably my biggest influence,
certainly in terms of the amount of time I spent with him on the road, going to
football, travelling back, being at home - everything,” Bukayo says.
“He always made time for me and my brother, he
went out of his way to teach us different things about football, about life,
about business, about family. He did a lot of that, so it’s definitely him. He
was the one driving me to and from Hale End for training and for games all the
time.”
Bukayo
spent eight seasons at our Hale End Academy in east London – flourishing
through the age groups before becoming a full-time scholar at London Colney in
2018. That’s a lot of training sessions, a lot of matches, and therefore a lot
of car journeys Bukayo shared with his father, Yomi. So what was the dominant
choice of conversation on the commute?
“Well, on the journey there, he would pick me
up from school and we had to go straight there, because there was always a lot
of traffic, so it took a while. I remember he would always bring me a packed
lunch ready, hot food for after school, so I’d eat that and then I would crash
out and sleep until we got there! I would wake up and all of a sudden we were
at Hale End.
“But on the way home we would always talk
about training, how it’s going, and he’d give me constructive criticism if I
needed it. He had advice for me, what I needed to improve on, or he said if I
had done well and how proud he was of me,” Bukayo adds.
"if
you don’t take a chance, or if you don’t want to take risks, then you limit
yourself”
His
dad’s personality clearly rubbed off on the youngster, and helps explain the
winger’s laid-back persona. “It was great because my dad was always really
composed, really calm and was always so good at dealing with everything that
was put on his plate, or on my plate,” Bukayo adds.
“Any decision, he would help me with calmly.
If I was ever upset with anything at training or if a coach put me out of
position for example, and I went to my dad complaining, he was always so calm.
He never overreacted at all. He was reassuring, told me not to worry, kept me
calm and told me how I can learn from it. So that’s what I mean – he’s been a
huge influence.”
Coming
through the ranks at Hale End meant that Bukayo had plenty of other role models
too, and just as he’s now inspiring our next generation, he himself looked up
to those who broke into the first team before him.
“When I was in the academy all of us used to
look at Alex Iwobi, Chuba Akpom and Jack Wilshere,” he says. “They had come
through the academy, were quite close to our age as well, and we got to go to a
lot of games at Emirates Stadium so we got to see them play a lot.
"Obviously
Jack at the time was really, really flying – he was a joy to watch. We all
loved watching him, and we saw a lot of ourselves in him too because he had
come through the way we wanted to. The same for Alex and the same for Chuba.
“I remember being so happy that day – I think
I even DMed him on Instagram afterwards to tell him I got it! I was about 13
and it’s a great memory to have. Stuff like that sticks with you, so that’s
why, after the games at the Emirates, if I see the Hale End boys I always try
to give them my boots or my shorts or something, because I know what it means.
For us it might be a little thing, but as a kid it can mean everything.”
Once
he stepped up to the first-team dressing room himself, Bukayo maintained his
thirst for knowledge and development, and says the way he was welcomed into the
fold by the senior players at the time was a huge boost.
“I’d say every young player needs a bit of help and guidance – it’s not so easy coming into a big team like this. I’ve always said that David Luiz had one of the biggest influences on me. From the first few sessions I had with the team, I remember him mentioning me in team meetings about how good I am, and he told everyone how much he believes in me.
“For a young player to hear that is great. I
was shocked that he even did it, to be honest. After that he took me under his
wing, and advised me. And it wasn’t just me, it was all the young players. He
was there for us. Also I had a really close relationship with Auba and Laca
too. Those guys were the stars of the team, but they were so humble too. They
talked with all of us young players, and not just about football all the time.
They would just chat to us to make us feel a part of everything and involved in
the team.”
Becoming
a first-team player at the age of 17 always felt like the start rather than the
end of the journey for Bukayo, though. He had been a part of the club for more
than eight years before fulfilling his dream of running out for his senior
debut against Vorskla Poltava in November 2018, but he wanted more. Any
achievement or milestone in his rocketing career was just seen as a stepping
stone to the next one.
“I think my mindset has always been to
constantly improve, so I don’t think there was a particular year when I felt
that I’d made a decisive step or something clicked,” he says.
“I don’t think there was a drastic improvement
at any point. I’ve just wanted to consistently improve all aspects of my game,
and take my game to another level each year. That’s been my mindset and my
approach, and I think I’ve done pretty well at it so far.”
"I’ve
just wanted to take my game to another level each year. I think I’ve done
pretty well at it so far"
Part
of this desire to learn and improve is the work Bukayo – and all of the team –
undertake between matches, analysing their own game, and identifying weaknesses
in opponents. So does Bukayo enjoy the ever-expanding analytical side of the
sport?
“It’s obviously not as good as being out on
the pitch and kicking a ball – nothing beats that – but it’s a big part of
being the best version of yourself.”
Still
only 23 years of age, Bukayo has a lot of football ahead of him before he needs
to think of a post-playing career, but does he think his interest in learning
could see him take up coaching in future?
“To be honest, at my age, I’ve got absolutely
no thought in my mind right now that I want to be a coach,” he says with a
smile. “But I know a lot of players that I’ve spoken to who felt the same way
as me and changed their mind towards the end of their career. But for me right
now, I’m in no place to want to start my coaching badges or want to be a coach.
It’s not something I’m focusing on at the moment.
“I’ve enjoyed being part of some sessions when
I’ve helped out with our Community department in the past, meeting some of the
kids on the club’s programmes, but that’s very different.
“I enjoy interacting with them, giving
something back as well. It’s more about the whole experience and making sure
everyone has a good time rather than serious coaching.
“Coaching a team is completely different,
obviously: having that pressure on you to win, thinking about each player in
the team, whether he’s happy or not, thinking about the tactics you need to
play, transfers, everything. There’s a lot more that goes into coaching than
just kicking a ball and having fun!”
All
of that can wait. For the moment Bukayo is all about getting the absolute
maximum out of his ability that he can, and continuing a stratospheric rise
throughout his career that shows no signs of slowing down.
Comments