We didn’t even know there was such an award but Bukayo Saka has been named player of the year for the England men’s national team after a fan vote.
The Arsenal winger beat Declan Rice and Harry Kane to the gong after scoring three goals and making two assists in nine appearances for the Three Lions over the last 12 months.
"Just a standard press conference today, Bukayo."
Not quite… 😉
Introducing your England Men's Player of the Year connected by @EE: @BukayoSaka87! pic.twitter.com/NCutIAi7d7
— England (@England) September 23, 2022
He is the first Gunner to take the award since its inception in 2003.
At the rate he’s going, the 21-year-old is going to need a bigger mantelpiece for all the personal accolades having already been named Arsenal’s player of the season for the last two years.
Congratulations to Bukayo who received the award from a room of inquisitive 8-year-olds. Presumably, they wouldn’t have planned the same reception had Kane won.
Saka is currently on international duty and is likely to feature in the Nations League matches against Italy (tonight) and Germany on Monday.
Congratulations Bukayo. Please don’t get injured.
Mikel, please don’t play him too much!
Sorry, got that wrong given the many downvotes. So…
Mikel, please play him too much!
A thoroughly decent young man with an exceptional talent, we’re lucky to have him representing Arsenal 😊
My only edit would swap ‘exceptional’ for ‘decent’.
But that’s it!
Or you mean exceptionally decent? 😀
No. Decently exceptional 🙂
I totally agree with you.
A thoroughly exceptional young man with an exceptional talent
This may seem a strange comment, but when Bukayo smiles it always makes me smile too.
I think most people are that way, remember the unicorn 😊😂
He is so good, congratulations bukayo. Hopefully this is the beginning of many great things to come his way
Somewhere a very red faced brexit supporter is having a fit over this news. Long may it continue.
Probably 70% of Chelsea fans
Ffs what has brexit go to do with it?!
Brexit means Breakfast.
Excellent news – well done B! That award will look beautiful next to your EPL Title winner’s medals when they arrive.
I’m sure I remember David Seaman being England player of the year before and that must’ve been way before 2003.
Wasn’t that the England Player of the Year with a Ponytail award?
Finest moustache? To be fair it was a much easier award to win in Dave’s era than in, say, the 30’s, competition was fierce back then.
Ah yes. Dave was a bit of an outlier in upper lip grooming even in his day.
He was on TalkShite yesterday promoting his fishing show on YouTube & was asked what he kept in his man bag during his playing days & he said gel to maintain the stache. That explains why it was always perfectly groomed, never a hair out of place on that thing
I’ve never heard of the award either, but it’s better to win an award that nobody has heard of than not to win it – so well-done Saka.
Kalvin Phillips won it last year I think. Or maybe it’s a different award?
What a man! Sign da ting bukayo!
There’s a bizarre photo promoting the new England shirt with Harry Kane’s elbow resting nonchalantly on Saka’s shoulder – as if the NLD rivalry just doesn’t exist.
They didn’t use the one where Saka’s elbow is landing nonchalantly in the middle of Kane’s face?
Congrats, Bukayo for the laurel. However, it is quite disheartening that a veteran football columnist of Phil McNulty calibre could tagged the choice as “dubious”. Doesn’t he deserve the accolade, considering his exploits for club and country,in the last couple of months. Must the panelists views align with his sentiment? Does he want to deny the fact that Bukayo is one of the youth prospects and star- performers in EPL and Europe.
This view of his , to me , is prejudicial.
Congrats, Saka. Continue to soar to greater heights.
Blessings 🙏🏾
Gotta love Bukayo