Why It Was Always Arsenal For 'part-time Barista' Saka

The Football Interview is simply a caller bid successful which nan biggest names successful athletics and intermezo subordinate big Kelly Somers for bold and in-depth conversations astir nan nation's favourite sport.

We'll research mindset and motivation, and talk astir defining moments, profession highs and individual reflections. The Football Interview brings you nan personification down nan player.

Interviews will driblet connected Saturdays crossed BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds and nan BBC Sport website. This week it will beryllium shown connected BBC One astatine 23:45 GMT successful England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Bukayo Saka joined Arsenal's academy astatine nan property of seven.

Now 24, he is simply a first-team champion - scoring 76 goals successful 277 appearances - and patient favourite among nan Emirates faithful.

Part of nan Arsenal squad that reached nan Europa League last successful 2019 and won nan FA Cup successful 2020, he besides helped England to back-to-back European Championship finals.

Saka could adhd different item to his reel this season, pinch Arsenal apical of nan Premier League arsenic they pursuit a first convention title since 2004.

And nan nine are assured nan England winger will motion a caller contract.

Speaking connected Friday, Arsenal head Mikel Arteta said: "I americium very alert that he wants to proceed pinch us. I deliberation it's a very patient and powerful relationship.

"The travel that he has had astatine nan club, and what he has become, is thing we want to maintain. I deliberation that is thing that is going to time off a bequest astatine this nine and he needs to fulfil that role."

Before Arteta's comments, Saka sat down pinch Kelly Somers to talk astir why it was ever going to beryllium Arsenal, spending clip distant from football, and his hopes of becoming an master barista.

Kelly Somers: Why football?

Bukayo Saka: Football is happiness to me, truthful from nan infinitesimal I realised that it existed, it was each I ever wanted to do.

Kelly: Was location ever immoderate chance of it being thing else?

Bukayo: Not successful my head. Maybe successful my parents' - evidently they tried to make judge I had a scheme B, which is, of course, sensible - but successful my head, you know, it was only football.

Kelly: What is your first representation of playing nan game?

Bukayo: Playing successful my backmost plot pinch my relative and my dad. It was 2 v 1, actually. It was maine against them, and they're some older than me. I would ne'er lose. I would not judge it. I would cry, I would do anything, and that started young.

Kelly: How young are we talking?

Bukayo: We're talking possibly 4 aliases 5 years old.

Kelly: Can you retrieve nan first squad that you played for?

Bukayo: Greenford Celtic. I retrieve everything, from nan kit to nan games. The kit was greenish stripes pinch achromatic stripes - it had for illustration a Celtic logo. We utilized to play successful a section park, aft nan crippled - boots muddied wholly and you'd person to slap them against nan trees. Proper football. I retrieve everything. It was a really important section of my life and I enjoyed it.

Kelly: What benignant of property were you erstwhile you joined nan team?

Bukayo: I would person been possibly six.

Kelly: At what constituent did you think, 'OK, I'm rather bully astatine this'?

Bukayo: You tin beryllium humble and besides judge that you're bully arsenic well. I deliberation there's thing incorrect pinch some and they tin some beryllium together. And I deliberation I had that from young, but I conscionable ne'er thought astir it. I was conscionable enjoying nan crippled and I was bully astatine it. So it made it moreover much fun.

Kelly: What position were you backmost then?

Bukayo: I was ever going to beryllium a winger, I'd say. Obviously that was nan first position I played - connected nan near helping - erstwhile I was increasing up.

Kelly: It's ever been Arsenal, hasn't it? Can you retrieve erstwhile you recovered retired that you were going to beryllium signing here?

Bukayo: I retrieve my dada telling maine I sewage scouted because it was different... you sewage a scout paper - scouts would person travel to watch you astatine a section team... and they gave my dada a paper and said: 'Call me, we'll group up a trial.' So I retrieve first coming into Hale End - my first trial. I didn't moreover consciousness an ounce of fear. I was conscionable like, 'I'm conscionable going to play football, conscionable bask it' and I played truthful good. I deliberation I trialled astatine nan B team. I played truthful bully they put maine successful nan A team, and from location signed and I've been astatine Arsenal ever since.

Kelly: Was it ever Arsenal for you?

Bukayo: Yeah. Well astatine that constituent of my career, nan decisions were much made by your parents. You're conscionable a kid, you don't really, do you cognize what I'm saying? My dada made it clear to maine 'Arsenal is nan nine I want you at', and I said: 'OK, let's go.'

Kelly: Why did he want you to travel here? What was it astir Arsenal?

Bukayo: He believed successful Arsenal, believed successful nan pathway, and it was visible. You could spot players, and evidently Arsene Wenger astatine nan clip - really overmuch he believed successful nan academy, really overmuch he wanted to usage nan academy, and besides nan people that Arsenal person and nan shot that they play. So each of that was conscionable cleanable for him and he conscionable wanted maine to beryllium here.

Kelly: How typical is it being an Arsenal fan, playing for Arsenal?

Bukayo: It's conscionable a dream travel true. Obviously increasing up, going to nan stadium and watching Arsenal play successful truthful galore different games and to now being nan 1 connected nan transportation and each nan group watching you and each nan worldly that comes pinch it. Family that utilized to talk astir Arsenal... and now it's you. There's truthful galore different aspects of it that makes it truthful beautiful and I'm conscionable enjoying each infinitesimal still.

Kelly: So did you utilized to travel and watch Arsenal arsenic a kid?

Bukayo: Of course, yeah.

Kelly: And I stake now you must person truthful galore summons requests for each nan games?

Bukayo: Ask nan boys!

Kelly: Can you retrieve a time, moreover going done nan academy, wherever you thought, 'I'm going to make it to nan first team'?

Bukayo: I retrieve being successful nan changing room 1 clip - we conscionable played a game, our squad was truthful good. We conscionable smashed nan team. The coach came in, I deliberation it was Greg Lincoln, and he came successful and said: 'Listen, boys... look around... it's an unbelievable team, but only 1 of you is going to make it, possibly moreover two.' And I conscionable retrieve that time conscionable thinking, 'oh my God, it needs to beryllium me. It has to beryllium me'.

Kelly: And I conjecture that's what a batch of young boys and girls don't realise, isn't it? It's specified a mini percent that make it.

Bukayo: Yeah. I don't deliberation possibly coaches, they won't show each nan boys because immoderate boys, it tin put fearfulness into them. It mightiness make them a spot little confident. But for me, it conscionable made it truthful clear to maine that this is not going to beryllium each cleanable and roses forever. You person to activity for this and, for me, it helped maine a lot.

Kelly: Which coach aliases erstwhile team-mate would you opportunity has had nan biggest effect connected your career?

Bukayo: It's reliable to say. I ever speak astir David Luiz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - they some helped maine a batch coming into nan team. The measurement they welcomed me, for me... I was rather quiet... evidently coming into Arsenal, these were for illustration my heroes, players that I was watching from nan stands and I get to play pinch them now, truthful it was a spot of a different acquisition for maine and I didn't cognize really to grip it. I didn't want to swipe anyone up nan incorrect way, truthful I conscionable preferred to beryllium a spot much quiet. But these guys... they welcomed maine - it helped maine consciousness myself - and gave maine advice, and gave maine confidence, that push. You could spot it erstwhile I was connected nan pitch, nan assurance I was playing with. It was decidedly helped by them and evidently nan remainder of my team-mates arsenic good - that helped maine too.

Kelly: Let's get to cognize Bukayo Saka nan personification a small spot better. What's your afloat name?

Bukayo: My sanction is Bukayo Moses Ayoyinka Temidayo Saka.

Kelly: That's because of your Nigerian roots, isn't it? Are you proud of those?

Bukayo: I'm very proud of those. Both my parents grew up successful Nigeria, truthful a batch of their values are instilled successful me.

Kelly: Talk maine done a emblematic time successful your puerility then. Who was astatine home?

Bukayo: Being astatine location I conscionable remember, obviously, waking up, we'd person breakfast. My mum would usually person gone to work, my dada was ever around. And if he had to spell to work, it was conscionable maine and my brother, but they'd ever time off america breakfast. Hot transverse bun, sausage, for illustration a sausage trim up. Frankfurter... Frankfurter and immoderate ketchup. That was my breakfast. You trim nan basking transverse bun, you trim nan sausage up, put it successful nan basking transverse bun, past put ketchup, past adjacent nan basking transverse bun. Unreal, unreal. Credit to my dad, my mum, I don't cognize whose thought it was.

Kelly: You don't still person that now, do you?

Bukayo: Nah, not immoderate more. It helped maine increasing up though.

Kelly: What were you for illustration astatine school?

Bukayo: I was rather agleam astatine school. I felt I was capable to return nan accusation connected rather quickly. I was bully astatine knowing it, each nan different subjects that they were explaining and teaching. So, yeah, I would opportunity I was a bully learner.

Kelly: And your GCSEs, you've said earlier what you got, but conscionable punctual maine what your grades were?

Bukayo: Oh, man, I deliberation it was astir 4 A stars and 4 As. I can't retrieve exactly, but it's online somewhere. It was a agelong clip ago.

Kelly: Who's nan first personification you speak to aft a game?

Bukayo: Depends really I'm feeling. I'm not really a large phone-call person. Normally I would matter my brother. I get a batch of texts, particularly if you triumph aliases you score... a batch of group congratulate you, which is nice.

Kelly: What's an perfect time disconnected look for illustration for you?

Bukayo: Ideal time disconnected - aftermath up successful nan morning, spell for a locomotion by myself.

Kelly: Do you for illustration clip to yourself?

Bukayo: Yeah. Recently, much than ever, I've liked going for walks pinch nature, I conscionable relax. I deliberation it's truthful peaceful, it's nice. Come back, person immoderate breakfast, and past astir apt spell into London, conscionable get immoderate nutrient pinch my closest group - thing I for illustration doing - going to restaurants and worldly for illustration that. If I person moreover much energy, possibly immoderate shopping, and, yeah, conscionable enjoying that broadside of things if it's a afloat time off.

Kelly: What are your hobbies?

Bukayo: Football. Recently, I for illustration making coffees. I'm into my java era, yeah. I deliberation I'm a part-time barista now. I'm trying to study really to do nan art. That's hard. It's truthful difficult but I'm getting there, I'm getting better. I haven't been capable to tie thing yet. I'm going to return lessons soon.

Kelly: What's your proudest infinitesimal of your profession today?

Bukayo: I deliberation I'd opportunity wherever I americium now. You know, nan circumstances I grew up successful and nan ups and downs and nan challenges, setbacks aliases immoderate that I've dealt pinch and to still beryllium present coming and successful nan position I'm in, going strong, still focused, motivated and happy. I deliberation it's astir apt thing that gets overlooked and thing I tin decidedly beryllium proud of. As I get a spot older, you understand that sometimes you can't ever beryllium afloat invested successful shot 24/7. You request to person a bully equilibrium and springiness your mind immoderate clip to move disconnected arsenic good and bask nan different aspects of life too.

Kelly: At what constituent did you get to realise that?

Bukayo: I deliberation it was past play erstwhile I sewage injured. Before then, I was almost for illustration connected autopilot - crippled aft game, recovery, game. And I didn't really return successful thing else. But obviously, erstwhile you get injured, you can't do what you love, you can't play football. So I was virtually successful nan brace, connected nan crutches, for almost a month. And you person to entertain yourself successful different ways. So it conscionable opened up that portion of my encephalon to different sides of things. And I deliberation since then, it's been like, there's a spot much to life than football. It's not conscionable football, but astatine nan aforesaid time, shot is my life. So it's conscionable trying to find a equilibrium because I've still [got] nan aforesaid dedication, nan aforesaid motivation, but conscionable trying to find that small break and move disconnected arsenic good astatine nan aforesaid time.

Kelly: If you could only execute 1 much point successful your life, what would it be?

Bukayo: All nan trophies - Arsenal and England. It's decidedly thing I want to execute successful my career.

Kelly: How would you picture nan Bukayo Saka sitting successful beforehand of me?

Bukayo: I deliberation I explained a spot earlier nan earthy evolution. The subordinate and personification I was, what was expected of maine and nan life I lived then, is wholly different to nan 1 now. Naturally, arsenic you spell from location to there, you study different things, you mature, you grow, worldly for illustration that. So, yeah, I deliberation that's astir apt nan biggest difference.

Kelly: You still for illustration having nosy though, don't you? Because I cognize you're 1 of nan jokers successful nan dressing room arsenic well.

Bukayo: Yeah, it's nan astir important thing, I think. Have fun, smile, laughter each day. I deliberation you can't miss that. No matter what, you can't miss that.