A heart-warming admission proved Bukayo Saka will never forget his footballing roots.
Saka has cemented himself as a homegrown hero at Arsenal, having made almost 250 appearances for the Gunners since his debut in 2018.
The 23-year-old has also represented England at two European Championships and the 2022 World Cup.
Safe to say, Saka has come a long way from when he began his football journey with Greenford Celtic in west London.
But no matter how far he travels across the globe and the staggering calibre of opponents he plays against, his hometown club will always hold a special place in his heart.
In a promotional video for American bank Chase, Saka caught up with Colin Nixon, who was the England international’s first coach.
As the pair caught up, Saka revealed he still has a Greenford Celtic shirt in his possession – and it’s in excellent company.
“In my house, I have some very special shirts, some big names,” Saka said.
“[Thierry] Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, also a shirt that’s up there is my Greenford Celtic shirt that I wore when I was playing under Colin.
“It’s where I started this whole journey. I’m here today because Colin was one of the people who gave me an opportunity to play football, and from there I got scouted.
“So it was an honour to link up with Colin again.”
Saka has played Ronaldo three times in his career, with all of their encounters taking place in the Premier League during CR7’s second spell with Manchester United.
4
4
Ronaldo scored twice in their first game against one another as United emerged 3-2 victors in the 2021/22 season.
Arsenal exacted their revenge by beating United 3-1 in the reverse fixture, with Saka scoring the Gunners’ second.
Ronaldo had to make do with a spot on the bench for the third game in which he faced off against Saka, although the Red Devils won 3-1.
As for Henry, Saka certainly has happier memories of his encounters with the Gunners icon.
Henry coached Saka during his days working in the club’s academy, but not even he could have foreseen the 23-year-old going on to enjoy the career he has to date.
“He’s my favourite player,” Henry told the BBC.
4
“He’s been there for so long and he’s so nice. I never thought he would reach the levels we are seeing.
“He’s a starter for Arsenal, he’s a starter for England. I remember when he started he was playing wing-back and the evolution of his game is outstanding because he used to be so lively, to now scoring goals and assists.”
Although Saka has cemented himself as one of Arsenal’s most vital stars, he has some way to go before he matches Henry’s feats.
Throughout his two stints with the Gunners, Henry registered 228 goals and 93 assists in 377 appearances across all competitions.
Henry also helped Arsenal to two Premier League titles and two FA Cup triumphs.
The French icon also finished second and third in the Ballon d’Or rankings in 2003 and 2006 respectively, highlighting his status in the global game.