England's Saka ready to step up for penalty duties at World Cup

Record ID: 1700994

  • Title: England's Saka ready to step up for penalty duties at World Cup
  • Date: 5th December 2022
  • Summary: AL WAKRAH, QATAR (DECEMBER 5, 2022) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ENGLAND FORWARD MARCUS RASHFORD IN TRAINING VARIOUS OF ENGLAND TEAM GATHERED AROUND THE ASSISTANT COACH RASHFORD AND OTHER PLAYERS LISTENING FORWARD JACK GREALISH STANDING RASHFORD STANDING VARIOUS OF PLAYERS PASSING THE BALL AROUND DEFENDER ERIC DIER STANDING DEFENDER BUKAYO SAKA IN NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND DEFENDER, BUKAYO SAKA, SAYING (IN RESPONSE TO QUESTION ON WHETHER THE ENGLAND TEAM BELIEVE THEY CAN WIN THE WORLD CUP): “Yeah, of course, we have to believe that. We have to come into this tournament and believe that we can win it. Right now our focus is on the next game which is France. It’s going to be a really difficult game, but we have to try and get through that and then focus on the next one. And then we will get closer and closer and hopefully give ourselves the best chance to win it.” GREALISH AND DIER WAITING FOR THE BALL / RASHFORD RUNNING TOWARDS THEM AND BACK TO THE OTHER PLAYERS GREALISH KICKING BALL
  • Embargoed: 19th December 2022 15:58
  • Keywords: Bukayo Saka England FIFA Qatar 2022 World Cup young players
  • Location: AL WAKRAH, QATAR/ LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • City: AL WAKRAH, QATAR/ LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: Qatar
  • Topics: Middle East,Sport,World Cup
  • Reuters ID: LVA001448005122022RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Bukayo Saka's world came crashing down when he missed the last penalty in the shootout of the European Championship final last year, but the England forward said on Monday (November 5) that he has grown since that miss to become a more mature and confident player.
    Saka took England's fifth spot kick against Italy after Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho had failed to score, with his miss giving Italy the trophy at Wembley -- a miss that resulted in a torrent of social media abuse which was often racist.
    But the 21-year-old has since put that incident behind him and has even stepped up to take spot kicks for his club Arsenal, who sit top of the Premier League table this season.
    "I've obviously matured and progressed a lot as a player and a person since that moment and I wouldn't have stepped up the times I've stepped up for Arsenal to take a penalty if I wasn't confident," Saka said.
    "So obviously if the moment comes and I'm set to take it, I'll be more than happy to," adding that his teammates' support had helped him overcome the miss.
    Saka, Jude Bellingham, and Phil Foden -- the three youngest players in the squad -- have been described as "generational talents" but the Arsenal player said they have learned to tune out the noise, be it compliments or criticism.
    He also played down comparisons with Kylian Mbappe, who was honoured as the young player of the tournament in the 2018 Russia World Cup.
    “There’s only one Kylian Mbappe, and at the same time, there’s only one me. You know, I just want to be myself and help my team in the best possible way I can,” he said.
    Saka said he has looked for inspiration in the Bible, which he reads every night.
    “It gives me more confidence, that God’s plan is perfect. I can go on the pitch and know that God has my back. I don’t need to be nervous or worry about any outcomes,” he said.
    (Production: Ayhan Uyanik, Michaela Cabrera)
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