Bukayo Saka, 19, has become well-known as a result of his man-of-the-match performance, but pals believe he remains grounded. Saka was brought in to replace Phil Foden and led the club to a 1-0 victory. He is expected to play on Sunday.
In the 1990s, his parents immigrated to the UK from Nigeria as economic migrants, and the family settled in Greenford. Bukayo is a non-drinker who received As and A*s in his GCSE examinations, earning praise from his old PE instructor, who said, ‘As a sportsman: fantastic.’ In terms of a student, the word “role model” comes to mind.
The Sako family has already moved out of their two-bedroom apartment and into a four-bedroom property closer to Arsenal’s training complex.
Bukayo Saka, the new adolescent England star, has celebrated his breakthrough by moving out of his childhood home and into a footballers’ house, according to MailOnline.
The 19-year-old grew up with his parents and brothers in a poor home only five miles from Wembley Stadium.
Bukayo used to kick a ball on the communal green after school in his family’s little two-story semi-detached home in Greenford, in the borough of Ealing, London.
Following his promotion to Arsenal’s first squad, he quietly upgraded by purchasing a six-bedroom contemporary home with extensive grounds.
He paid £2.3 million for the sprawling home in leafy Hertfordshire in November 2019, shortly before his 18th birthday.
Bukayo, who signed his first professional contract with Arsenal at the age of 17, is reported to have moved in with his parents and siblings shortly after.
The property came with a spa and walk-in closets, but he wanted to personalize it, so workers have been improving it on a regular basis since then.
The upgrade’s exact features have not been released, however it is believed that the modifications were considerable.
Even today, a crew of workers was working in the grounds to modernize the home, which dwarfs its neighbors.
Tottenham icons Gary Mabbutt and Martin Chivers both lived in the area, and current players Dele Alli and Serge Aurier both live close.
It’s a far cry from his humble upbringing. After yesterday night’s stunning triumph, England’s new hero was in contact with neighbors on his old estate, and his charitable family is well-known for helping people move house as well as giving footballs, games consoles, and money to help the area’s poor.
The Arsenal winger’s man of the match performance against the Czech Republic last night caps an incredible trip for the 19-year-old, who was born five miles from Wembley and is known among colleagues as ‘little chilli’ for his ability to spice up attacks.
The hero is a teetotaler and follows a strict diet.
A student lives with his mother Adeniki and father Yomi, who make him go to bed early every night before big games. Last year, they relocated to Hertfordshire to be closer to Arsenal’s training facility.
Meseret Degeti, a 34-year-old Ethiopian mother of three boys, told MailOnline that when she moved in two years ago, the Saka family welcomed her with a sack full of 20 footballs.
‘They are so polite, pleasant, and always helpful,’ she said. When I was moving in, Bukayo and his brother assisted me in carrying furnishings. Their father is fantastic, and his wife is wonderful.
‘Yomi gave my lads an X-box and £40 for Christmas last year.’ My sons were constantly encouraged to play football by him. He merely said his kids played football and were good, but he didn’t indicate how good they were. He still pays me visits, particularly when I’m having problems with the house. In April, he came to fix a plumbing problem. He would frequently drive my children to school when they were here.’
Bukayo’s Nigerian parents, who are devout Christians, relocated in Ealing in the 1990s as economic migrants seeking a better life for their unborn children. But it all started on a strip of land outside his family’s former terraced property in west London, where their kid wowed on the perfect Wembley pitch last night.
Loraine Cain, 62, said Saka, who attended Edward Betham C of E Primary School and subsequently Greenford High School, was “always kicking a football in front of the home.”
Eileen Nolder, 91, a neighbor, said he moved closer to the Arsenal football pitch to offer his son the best chance of success without having to leave the house.
‘They are a great family, Yomi in particular,’ she remarked. He was incredible, and the boys were adorable. An ambulance was called for me on a couple of occasions. Yoni noticed and rushed over to assist. He would come and help you with everything you needed carried or done. ‘Yomi was confident his son was going to be a star, so they relocated closer to Arsenal,’ she continued. When the family went, I was devastated.’
Another neighbor, who did not want to be identified, texted Bukayo last night to congratulate him. ‘We’re quite proud of him,’ he said.
Meseret Degeti, a mother of three boys from Ethiopia, remembered the Sakas as a generous family who was always prepared to provide a hand. Despite the fact that they moved out of the house where Bukayo grew up in April of last year, his father Lionel – fondly known in the neighborhood as Yomi – still visits to see if Mrs Degeti needs any housework done and assists with the school run.
Mrs Degeti claimed that the Sakas were devout Christians, and that when Bukayo’s father came to visit, he would encourage her children to join him in prayer.
‘He would tell them they needed to pray, support their mother, and be kind to one another,’ she recalled. He’d inquire about their aspirations for the future. He would constantly chat to them about football and would always bring them gifts.
‘My eldest is now 11 years old and has a football obsession.’ Mr Saka is a property manager and a businessman.
He had been playing football on a little green with his father Yomi and older brother Abayomi every night since he was three years old, and they had to ask him to go inside to bed because they were so tired.
After he joined for Arsenal at the age of seven, his mother Adenike and father did menial jobs to pay the bills while ferrying his kid to football in the evenings and on weekends – but they were clear that if he wanted to be a professional footballer, he had to excel in school as well.
Bukayo graduated from Greenford High School with four A*s and three As in his GCSEs in the summer of 2018, and his instructors praised him as “the humble youngster who fulfilled his aspirations as well as a first-class education.”
‘Bukayo Saka at Greenford High School: always willing to learn, extremely respectful towards staff and peers, beautiful family, and top grades,’ the school’s PE department tweeted Wednesday night. ‘What a night to be proud of!’
Saka demonstrated his world class football talents when he replaced Phil Foden and stirred the team into life last night after a wonderful season at Arsenal, where he was named player of the year, and a turgid performance by England against Scotland last Friday. He also had a part in Raheem Sterling’s goal, which helped England overcome the Czech Republic 1-0 and win the group.
And, as is customary after every game, Bukayo, whose name comes from the Yoruba tribe in West Africa and means “adds to happiness,” will have FaceTimed his adoring parents nonstop.
Saka was “burdened with beautiful purpose” after a barnstorming first half, according to Arsenal great Ian Wright, the credo of Marvel anti-hero Loki, the trickster god and adopted son of Odin and brother of Thor.
While Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has dubbed him “Little Chilli” because he “spices up” the team, and has even bought him a jacket with a jewel-encrusted red chilli and Saka’s embroidered on the front.
His family is his rock, and he lives with his parents and brother. Bukayo’s Instagram bio reads “God’s kid,” and unlike other footballers, he doesn’t have a lot of photographs of mansions, flash cars, and fancy jewelry, and he only has one vacation shot.
He was said to be the only England player in the team’s lounge who didn’t have any booze on his table. Juices, smoothies, and milkshakes are his favorites.
Despite signing a four-year contract at an estimated £10,000 per week, he continues to live with his parents after purchasing a home near the club’s training base in Barnet. He is thought to be single and vacations with his brother.
‘I started playing football at home with my dad and older brother, Yomi, when I was three or four years old,’ he told arsenal.com.
‘It had always been that way. We’d play for hours on end. My father and brother would always want to return inside, but I would never let them. We continued to play until I was victorious. You can ask them, I’m serious! I wouldn’t let them back in as long as they were winning.’
‘I still live with my parents, but we’ve moved out from Greenford now, closer to the training ground, and my brother has gone to university in Reading,’ he explained.
‘His feet are firmly on the ground,’ said a source close to the celebrity, adding, ‘He’s a fantastic, brilliant child.’ Highly polite, respectful, and in fact, very intelligent and studious’.
‘He’s incredibly quiet, self-disciplined, and dedicated,’ said Neil Dewsnip, who coached Saka for England’s Under-18s. But below it all is a bone-dry sense of humour. He’s a cheeky little rascal whose self-assurance is clearly increasing all the time.’
He earned his first team debut in 2019, aged 17, just six months after graduating from high school, but the humble footballer preferred to credit his family rather than his own performance.
‘My family was buzzing, they couldn’t stop smiling when I told them,’ he stated at the time. But they were so glad that they were able to get me to bed early so that I could focus on today.’
He wanted to talk with his proud parents and sibling after the game, but he was hauled away for an ice bath. Despite this, he was able to FaceTime them from the frigid water.
Saka is also a hero among kids at Ealing’s Greenford High School, where his framed and autographed Arsenal shirt hangs on the wall.
‘In the last year of taking GCSEs, Bukayo was out of school quite a bit with Arsenal, but he was great,’ his former PE teacher Mark Harvey told The Times.
‘He worked hard, received excellent grades, and graduated with honors.’ In terms of sportsmanship, he is outstanding. In terms of a student, the word “role model” comes to mind.
‘The family was always insistent that schoolwork be addressed,’ he continued. Thankfully, Bukayo excelled in his studies, and we never had to worry about it.’
There was never any doubt in Bukayo’s mind that he would prefer England to his parents’ native Nigeria.
‘My entire family has been in England for what seems like an eternity,’ he stated lately. When I was younger, all of my documents claimed that I am an English speaker; hopefully, Nigerians will understand.’
He began playing football with his father Yomi and older brother Abayomi on a little green when he was three years old.
At the age of seven, he was picked up by Arsenal after playing for his local team, Greenford Celtic.
