Racism, his debut at left back, and the number 3: the maturity tests of star Bukayo Saka

When Bukayo Saka (London, 2001) arrived at Arsenal, he was eight years old. The diminutive Nigerian-born player had shown such talent since arriving that the club was concerned about assigning him the number 3 shirt, corresponding to a defender, in case it might upset his family or the player. Obviously, that number didn't affect the player, as one of the Gunners' winger's main characteristics is his mental strength, something he has demonstrated on multiple occasions.

The last one, in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Real Madrid. The forward picked up the ball at the Bernabéu to try to beat Courtois from the penalty spot, but the Belgian guessed his shot like a panenka. Far from limiting him, the Briton scored in the second half with a precisely similar strike, although this time with the ball in play. "I was very confident I would score; my mentality kicked in the second half," he admitted, laughing on British television.

But there was an even more significant moment in the striker's career, as he describes his England debut as "one of the best moments of his life as a footballer." That was his penalty miss in the penalty shootout as England lost the European Championship to Italy. "At that moment, I knew I was going to receive racist abuse," said the player, who shared that fate with teammates Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford . "I can promise you that I won't let that negative moment break me," the player added.

Saka not only didn't break down, and he was just 19, but he continued to grow within his club and the national team, showing the talent his coaches at Hale End, Arsenal's academy, have always seen. "I'd be lying if I said a player aged 11, 12 or 13 was going to be a superstar, but with Bukayo, at 15, playing for the national team and with us and putting in big games against big rivals, you start to think: 'This kid can do it,'" said Luke Hobbs , one of his coaches at youth levels.

They emphasize that he's a "not arrogant" and very down-to-earth kid. In fact, Arsenal members recall that his first dealings with his team were always through his father, without any agent involved, and that his father never had any issues with the decisions made at the club, such as him playing games at left back rather than forward in his early days. "No problem, Luke, if he plays with the older players it's a good experience for him," Yemi Saka responded to the manager.

Attack and defense

It was precisely this defensive sacrifice that Thierry Henry highlighted in their performance against Madrid, overlooking, not without a certain amount of irony, the fact that the young striker copied his celebration after scoring at the Bernabéu by asking the crowd to be silent, just as Raúl did at the Camp Nou. A sacrifice that he also demonstrated in the first leg of the semifinal against PSG. Especially in the first 15 minutes of play, where the French overwhelmed the British at the Emirates. "I know they only changed two players after our first game. But the cohesion they have, the way they move the ball... They were much better and they impressed me a lot. I think they are, yes [the best team they have faced this season].

In the second half, the dominance, not the scoreline, changed thanks to Donnarumma . The Italian goalkeeper thwarted all of Arsenal's chances and his defense protected him enough to leave with a good haul at the Parc des Princes. Nuno Mendes was in charge of drying up Saka , the Gunners' greatest threat. "He's a top full-back, very fast. It was a great battle and I loved it, I'm already looking forward to next week's," he said after the match. Even so, the Briton completed four of the English team's 11 dribbles, created one chance, and shot once on target. The French press, although somewhat divided, rated him as the English team's best asset in the first leg and the biggest threat for tonight's return.

With Arsenal depleted in attack by the significant absences of Gabriel Jesús and Kai Havertz , Saka , with the productive collaboration of Mikel Merino , will have to step up if he wants to take Arsenal to the Champions League final, a step the British team had not reached since 2006. Their rival was FC Barcelona.