Bukayo Saka is dominant in one-vs-one situations. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)
3. Ball progression & dribbling
Another vital quality for any winger is the ability to progress his team up the pitch through powerful and direct dribbling – and Saka does that brilliantly. In fact, the 21-year-old ranks in the 87th percentile for progressive carries in European football, making him one of the most effective dribblers on the planet.
When you watch Saka play, that becomes apparent very quickly. The vast majority of opponents he faces decide, or are forced, to double and even sometimes triple up on him in wide areas in an attempt to limit his ability to impact the game.
However, many defences are still unable to handle him and are therefore left with no choice but to foul Saka – a lot. In the Premier League this season, he has been fouled a total of 45 times; the ninth-highest amount in the league and the most of any Arsenal player.
4. Work rate & attitude
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there is Bukayo Saka’s character. For a player so gifted, you could potentially forgive him if he occasionally skimped on the defensive phase of the game, but he excels in this regard too. Initially enjoying an impressive spell at left wing-back in the Arsenal squad, he has always been comfortable in defensive positions, and his desire to put in maximum effort, in both thirds of the pitch, has not wavered since.
He approaches all aspects of football, and life in general, with the same attitude and, arguably, that is his biggest strength. Ex-Gunner Alex Iwobi was keen to praise Saka’s humility, as so many other coaches and players have also done in the past.
“I am happy for him, man, really really happy because not only is he a great player, but off the pitch, he is a respectful, humble guy.”
Keeping a level head as a young player when racing towards stardom, as Saka is currently doing, is vital if the levels they are performing at are to be maintained. There is evidently a case to be made that Saka is currently the best winger in world football, and his humility will likely ensure that he continues on that upward trajectory for many years to come.
pic.twitter.com/l81QllxZyj
<p>— ARDENT GOONER (@saltimes) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/27/4-reasons-bukayo-saka-best-winger-world/2/"https://twitter.com/saltimes/status/1640065927382450176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 26, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<h2>1. Incredible consistency</h2>
<p>One of Saka’s biggest assets is his ability to perform at a high leveconsistentlyis. Despite only being 21 years of age, his teammates have been able to rely upon him to produce when they need it most for multiple seasons – week in and week out.</p>
<p>Ultimately, it is that consistency that sets him apart from the vast majority of wingers in world football. On a domestic basis, Marcus Rashford is one player who is currently being compared to Saka, but, in my opinion, falls short of the Hale End academy graduate. While it is true that Rashford and Saka’s highs are comparable, their lows certainly aren’t. In short, that is because Saka’s lows are so few and far between.</p>
<p>That is especially true this season and even on a European-wide basis, there are very few, if any, wingers that can match his consistency.</p>
<p>Don’t come at me, Vini Jr lovers.</p>
<h2>2. End product</h2>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This angle of Saka’s goal 🤤 </p>
<p>🎥 <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/27/4-reasons-bukayo-saka-best-winger-world/2/"https://twitter.com/AMA5_05?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>@AMA5_05 <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/27/4-reasons-bukayo-saka-best-winger-world/2/"https://t.co/pGDbT8BjsL">https://t.co/pGDbT8BjsL
<p>— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/27/4-reasons-bukayo-saka-best-winger-world/2/"https://twitter.com/DailyAFC/status/1640063336199999492?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>March 26, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/27/4-reasons-bukayo-saka-best-winger-world/2/"https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></div>
<p>Somewhat new to the Arsenal winger’s game is his ruthlessness in front of goal. Saka has always been blessed in regard to creative talent – regularly registering assists at both club and international levels. However, his finishing and desire to score goals have, at times, been disappointing. But, that is no longer the case.</p>
<p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/27/4-reasons-bukayo-saka-best-winger-world/2/"https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/saka-england-ukraine-southgate-goal-29556193" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Speaking</a> after Saka’s stunning performance for England against Ukraine, Gareth Southgate outlined the winger’s transformation into a clinical goalscorer.</p>
<blockquote><p>“You are expecting him to score now when he goes through and that is a mentality shift as much as anything technical. He knows to be a really top wide player you need the number of goals and assists.”</p></blockquote>
<p>The last two seasons have demonstrated this perfectly. In the 2021/22 campaign, Saka scored a then career-best 11 Premier League goals and has already netted 12 times this season. For such a young winger, those numbers are frightening, especially when you take into account his assist numbers.</p>
<p>He has always had the talent needed to become a truly world-class winger, and he is now backing that talent up with staggering returns in the final third.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/27/4-reasons-bukayo-saka-best-winger-world/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> Ball progression and work-rate </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_133199" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-133199" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/27/4-reasons-bukayo-saka-best-winger-world/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1475835606.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1475835606.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1475835606-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Bukayo Saka is dominant in one-vs-one situations. (Photo by Emmanuele Ciancaglini/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>3. Ball progression & dribbling</h2>
<p>Another vital quality for any winger is the ability to progress his team up the pitch through powerful and direct dribbling – and Saka does that brilliantly. In fact, the 21-year-old <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/27/4-reasons-bukayo-saka-best-winger-world/2/"https://fbref.com/en/players/bc7dc64d/Bukayo-Saka" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ranks</a> in the 87th percentile for progressive carries in European football, making him one of the most effective dribblers on the planet.</p>
<p>When you watch Saka play, that becomes apparent very quickly. The vast majority of opponents he faces decide, or are forced, to double and even sometimes triple up on him in wide areas in an attempt to limit his ability to impact the game.</p>
<p>However, many defences are still unable to handle him and are therefore left with no choice but to foul Saka – a lot. In the Premier League this season, he has been <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/27/4-reasons-bukayo-saka-best-winger-world/2/"https://fbref.com/en/comps/9/misc/Premier-League-Stats#all_stats_misc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fouled a total of 45 times</a>; the ninth-highest amount in the league and the most of any Arsenal player.</p>
<h2>4. Work rate & attitude</h2>
<p>Finally, and perhaps most importantly, there is Bukayo Saka’s character. For a player so gifted, you could potentially forgive him if he occasionally skimped on the defensive phase of the game, but he excels in this regard too. Initially enjoying an impressive spell at left wing-back in the Arsenal squad, he has always been comfortable in defensive positions, and his desire to put in maximum effort, in both thirds of the pitch, has not wavered since.</p>
<div class="embed ">
<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="2ziXsDNybF"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/27/4-reasons-bukayo-saka-best-winger-world/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/27/3-reasons-arsenal-make-move-mason-mount/">3 reasons why Arsenal should make a move for Mason Mount this summer</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>He approaches all aspects of football, and life in general, with the same attitude and, arguably, that is his biggest strength. Ex-Gunner <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/27/4-reasons-bukayo-saka-best-winger-world/2/"https://twitter.com/VipArsenal/status/1640382517831254017" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alex Iwobi was keen to praise</a> Saka’s humility, as so many other coaches and players have also done in the past.</p>
<blockquote><p>“I am happy for him, man, really really happy because not only is he a great player, but off the pitch, he is a respectful, humble guy.”</p></blockquote>
<p>Keeping a level head as a young player when racing towards stardom, as Saka is currently doing, is vital if the levels they are performing at are to be maintained. There is evidently a case to be made that Saka is currently the best winger in world football, and his humility will likely ensure that he continues on that upward trajectory for many years to come.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
