Qatar 2022: Saka reveals how faith, family and fans led to his resurgence 

Among the many letters of love and support Bukayo Saka received last summer, now carefully stored at his parents’ home in north London, was an invitation.

One young boy who had seen Saka inconsolable on the Wembley Stadium pitch after missing the decisive penalty in the Euro 2020 final had written to him, offering a game of football at his local park.

He added a promise: he’d let Saka win.

Eighteen months on and the England and Arsenal forward has got used to that winning feeling again, managing to immediately heal the wounds of defeat by Italy, and the subsequent vile social media abuse, to leave his club top of the Premier League table before leading his country into the latter stages of the World Cup.

“I have matured and progressed a lot as a player and as a person since that moment,” Saka said after securing England’s quarter-final meeting with France.

Qatar 2022 may be remembered in England for the emergence of Jude Bellingham, a generational talent whose star seems limitless, yet it wasn’t so long ago that Saka’s came crashing down.

That he is back so soon, starting as Gareth Southgate’s first choice in the team’s most competitive position, is a measure of his mentality.

At Saka’s first World Cup, he has a better minutes-per-goal record than Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski and Olivier Giroud, yet also carries defensive responsibilities, having recorded more tackles than any other England attacker so far.

The appreciation has been limited. We pine for the flair of Phil Foden, clamour for James Maddison and grill Southgate on Jack Grealish’s absence. But what of Saka and his steady reliability? What of Saka and his scoring touch? Are we beginning to take this 21-year-old for granted?

While his recovery from last year’s onslaught of abuse may have appeared swift, the impact on Saka behind the scenes was significant. It was also two-fold, as the youngster felt that the responsibility of Arsenal failing to qualify for the Champions League weighed heavily on his shoulders alone.

He logged off social media and spent time with family: his mum, Adenike, dad, Yomi, and brother, Abayomi. “I was hurting so much and I felt like I’d let you all and my England family down,” Saka said a week after the final. “But I can promise you this — I will not let that moment or the negativity that I’ve received this week break me.”

An overwhelming wave of support helped. There were the strangers who wrote to him in their droves. More than 4,000 letters arrived at Arsenal’s training ground in the end, collected by Lynne Chaney, who manages the players’ post. The club photographer Stuart MacFarlane came up with the idea to collate them all on one giant wall, which would be presented to Saka on his return for pre-season. “How should I say thank you for this?” he asked, stunned by the show of support.

The “Saka Wall” is now installed in the concourse behind blocks four and five in the North Bank at Emirates Stadium, with more than 1,700 of the letters printed.

Familiar faces made contact too. Thierry Henry, an icon at Arsenal when Saka was developing through the club’s academy, initiated the start to their bond. “It meant everything,” Saka said. “He’s shown a lot of character for him to get my number and reach out to me. It’s not just from that moment. After most Arsenal games, he reaches out to me.”

Those close to Saka have seen the change in him. Aaron Ramsdale, the Arsenal goalkeeper, knew what it was like to experience the backlash of social media after his move to the north London club the previous summer. He offered Saka support. “Off the pitch and on it, he’s a more complete person,” the England goalkeeper said.

 “The kid’s a lovely boy. He has time for everyone, works super hard throughout every week, very very rarely misses a training session. And he used all that motivation of criticism but also, more so, the love which everyone gave him. It gave him an extra boost.

 “Don’t forget he had the pressure of the whole football club on him last year. Him and Emile Smith Rowe were our two main guys. He’s dealt with that. He’s dealt with everything else. He’s thriving now.”