As someone who has played in three major tournaments, Bukayo Saka knows the expectation England players are put under better than anybody. And as someone who has been part of the most consistent Three Lions side over the last 60 years, he knows better than anybody just what he and his team-mates are capable of.
So when he was asked how he copes with the unrelenting pressure on England, be it from the media, 58 million fans or the weight of a six-decade long wait for a major trophy, the winger appeared utterly unfazed.
“We know there’s an expectation, but what’s important is we have expectations of ourselves,” Saka told FIFA. “Once you have that, there’s not really much else that can put that much pressure on you. So we just try and block out all the noise and we know what we want to achieve. We know what we’re going into the tournament to do, and we keep that at the forefront of our minds.”
While many of Saka’s predecessors grew up with painful memories of England, his lifetime has coincided with some wonderful times for the national team. Saka was born four days after the monumental 5-1 thrashing away to Germany in 2001, one of England’s greatest ever results.
Shortly before he turned professional in 2018, England reached the FIFA World Cup™ semi-finals, their best showing for 28 years. In his first major tournament, the rescheduled UEFA EURO 2020, England reached their first final since the 1966 World Cup, being cruelly denied by Italy on penalties.
Eighteen months later, Saka was part of an England side that reached the quarter-finals of FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, narrowly beaten by holders and eventual finalists France. At UEFA EURO 2024, England reached another final, their first on foreign soil, only to be denied once more, this time by Spain courtesy of a late goal.
And yet, rather than allowing himself to be beaten down by such near misses, Saka has channeled those painful memories in a positive way. “For all of them, we went into the tournament with the confidence that we could win and we came close,” he said.
“We just use that as motivation now. We will keep pushing, we’ll keep putting ourselves in that position.” Saka will head off to the World Cup still glowing from helping Arsenal end their 22-year wait to win the Premier League title along with fellow England internationals Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke.
There are recent winners to be found across each area of the squad, with James Trafford, Nico O’Reilly, Marc Guehi and John Stones lifting the FA Cup and League Cup with Manchester City; Harry Kane hoisting a Bundesliga and German Cup double with Bayern Munich, Marcus Rashford becoming a La Liga champion with Barcelona or Aston Villa trio Ollie Watkins, Morgan Rogers and Ezri Konsa tasting Europa League success.
This England squad is a mix of experienced operators, world class players in their prime and an exciting new generation ready to take their first tournament by storm.
“I see strengths everywhere and I also see a lot of hunger and passion to win, which is a great balance and is what you need,” Saka, 24, added.
“This team has so much talent, but at the same time so much competition. It’s healthy, it’s good, it’s a great environment and I think we’re all thriving. There’s loads of talent, loads of competition, and at the same time, we have a real sense of togetherness as well, so, it’s a great balance.”
England also benefit from having a serial winning coach in Thomas Tuchel. The German oversaw a record-breaking qualifying campaign in which his side won all eight matches without conceding a goal.
“I think he’s a great coach and since he’s come in he’s been pretty clear about what he wants and the demands for the team,” Saka said of the German tactician. “He’s a winner and obviously this team wants to win as well. We’ve taken really well to him.”
Saka knows as well as anyone that anything can happen in a major tournament and having come so far before yet going home empty handed, he wants to go all the way and emulate the World Cup-winning side of 1966, captained by Bobby Moore and spearheaded by Geoff Hurst, which is still the only England team to win a major international trophy.
“As an England player, they set the standards for us as a team and obviously we want to follow in their footsteps and achieve what they have,” Saka added. “That’s the dream. That’s what we’re working towards, and it would be very, very special if we could achieve that.”
