Bukayo Saka is an England international footballer who plays for Arsenal. A Hale End academy graduate, he progressed from youth football and early appearances at left-back to a regular role on the right wing.
His achievements include Arsenal’s 2025/26 Premier League title, the 2023 PFA Young Player of the Year award and a hat-trick in England’s 2026 World Cup bronze-medal victory over France.
Last reviewed: 2 November 2026. This biography uses club, school, league, players’ union and football association records.
Bukayo Saka at a glance
| Name | Bukayo Saka |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | 5 September 2001 |
| Age | 25 on 2 November 2026 |
| Birthplace | Ealing, London, England |
| Club | Arsenal |
| International team | England |
| Main position | Right winger |
| Preferred foot | Left |
| Height | 178 cm, as listed by England Football |
England Football’s player profile provides his birth date, height, preferred foot and current club.
Early life and education
Saka was born in Ealing and grew up in Greenford, west London. In his first-person account for England Football, he recalls playing with his brother and father in the garden before joining local club Greenford Celtic. He also trained with Watford as a child before choosing Arsenal.
He played school football at Edward Betham Primary School and Greenford High School. Greenford’s official alumni page confirms that he left in 2018 with strong GCSE results.
His parents moved to Britain from Nigeria, as recorded in the Premier League’s account of his upbringing and development.
Hale End and Arsenal’s first team
Saka trained in Arsenal’s pre-academy before formally registering at Hale End on 5 May 2010, aged eight. The Premier League’s career feature makes that distinction between early training and joining the academy’s under-nine group.
His senior Arsenal debut came on 29 November 2018, aged 17, as a substitute against Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League. Arsenal won 3–0. The club’s detailed account of his progression records the debut and his first senior goal, away to Eintracht Frankfurt in September 2019.
During 2019/20 he played across several roles, including left-back, and finished with 38 appearances and 12 assists in all competitions. He was an unused substitute when Arsenal beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final. He subsequently became Arsenal’s Player of the Season in both 2020/21 and 2021/22.
Established Arsenal career and the 2026 title
Saka’s 2022/23 Premier League season produced 14 goals and 11 assists. The Professional Footballers’ Association named him its Young Player of the Year on 29 August 2023.
For 2024/25, Arsenal’s season review records 12 goals and 13 assists in 37 appearances across all competitions. Those figures have a different scope from the league-only 2022/23 numbers above.
He signed a new long-term Arsenal contract in February 2026, confirmed in the Premier League’s 19 February feature. Arsenal then secured the 2025/26 Premier League title on 19 May 2026, ending a 22-year wait, as recorded in the league’s title announcement.
Arsenal also reached the 2026 Champions League final. Saka started against Paris Saint-Germain on 30 May, but Arsenal finished runners-up: PSG won the shoot-out 4–3 after a 1–1 draw. UEFA’s final report records the result and line-ups.
England career and World Cup bronze
After representing England at youth levels, Saka made his senior international debut on 8 October 2020 in a 3–0 win over Wales.
He appeared in the EURO 2020 final, played in 2021, and scored three goals at the 2022 World Cup. England reached another European Championship final in 2024; UEFA’s report records Saka in the starting line-up for the 2–1 defeat to Spain.
At the 2026 World Cup, Saka scored a hat-trick in England’s 6–4 win over France in the third-place match on 18 July. The FA’s account of the bronze-medal finish identifies his two first-half goals and late penalty. England finished third, their best men’s World Cup result since winning in 1966.
Selected honours and individual awards
| Honour or award | Year or season |
|---|---|
| FA Cup winner with Arsenal | 2019/20 |
| Arsenal Player of the Season | 2020/21 and 2021/22 |
| PFA Young Player of the Year | 2023 |
| England Men’s Player of the Year | 2021/22 and 2022/23 |
| Premier League winner with Arsenal | 2025/26 |
| Champions League runner-up with Arsenal | 2025/26 |
| World Cup bronze with England | 2026 |
The FA’s September 2023 award announcement confirms his second consecutive England Men’s Player of the Year award. The table lists selected achievements rather than every team honour or nomination.
