In Jude Bellingham and Saka, The Three Lions have two of the world’s greatest talents. Against Italy it was Bellingham who excelled, Saka grabbed his podium during the home game against Ukraine (2-0).
Youngsters thrill the English: “It is the spirit that stands out”
The surplus of finesse is visible to everyone. It is clear that Bellingham and Saka are into football. After the victory over Ukraine, national coach Gareth Southgate also praised the mentality of his growth. “It’s the spirit that stands out,” said the coach at the BBC. “Their footballing qualities are obvious, but these guys remain humble and eager to learn. They work incredibly hard and are a pleasure to work with.”
Saka stood out against Ukraine with a world-class goal. The Arsenal attacker cut in and curled the ball into the far corner with great feeling. A look at the statistics shows that Saka’s figures are special. The 21-year-old winger now has eight goals in the national team. At that age, only Dixie Dean (sixteen), Jimmy Greaves (sixteen), Wayne Rooney (twelve) and Michael Owen (ten) scored more goals in the England shirt.
The impressed manager
Southgate was amazed at Wembley. “That was a finish of the highest level,” concluded the manager. “He has added that ruthlessness to his game over the last year and a half. There were times when you weren’t sure if he was a finisher, but he proves it now. He clearly has confidence in front of the goal.”
As Southgate pointed out, Saka doesn’t let the critical acclaim drive her crazy. “I was definitely aiming for the top corner. When the ball left my foot, I knew it was going to be one of my best goals,” said the Channel 4 star. “As soon as I got the ball from Jordan Henderson, I knew I was going to shoot. But in the end it is a team effort and a good follow-up to the victory over Italy. This victory does us good.”
Sky Sports awarded Saka with a 9 for his performance against Ukraine. Bellingham, who had to make do with a 7 after his star role against Italy, feels comfortable at Declan Rice’s side. They wrote, “The versatile midfielder secretly dreams of the future captaincy. That would be the greatest honor. I know the hierarchy. I respect that and I wait my turn. In the meantime I pick up what I can learn from the others.”
