Bukayo Saka has now achieved something only bettered by Cristiano Ronaldo and Raheem Sterling
Bukayo Saka is 25 today — we’re all getting old.
Saka celebrates his birthday the day before Arsenal host Chelsea at the Emirates in the weekend’s blockbuster clash.
And ahead of that, a stat has emerged that puts what he has done so far in an Arsenal shirt into extraordinary context.
According to Pure Angles, using Opta data, Saka has recorded 96 goal contributions playing as a winger in the Premier League before turning 25.
Only two players in the history of the competition have bettered that figure — Cristiano Ronaldo with 101 and Raheem Sterling with 99.
He sits ahead of the likes of Ryan Giggs, Eden Hazard, Gareth Bale and Marcus Rashford. Not bad company.
Gabriel Martinelli, incidentally, ranks 7th on the list, just behind Eden Hazard.
Again, these numbers are specifically from when these players have played as a winger. Saka broke through the senior team as a left-back, where he got a lot of joy accumulating assists, but it was when Mikel Arteta pushed him to the right wing that the goals started flowing.
Since then, he’s been Arsenal’s talisman — no player has scored more under Arteta than Saka.
If it weren’t for that devastating hamstring injury that disrupted his rhythm during the 2024-25 campaign, surely he would’ve topped that list.
Thierry Henry still expects more from him, though. The Arsenal legend wants Saka to deliver a 30 goal involvement season in the league.
Thierry Henry has set Bukayo Saka the goal of finishing the 2026/27 campaign with 15 goals and 15 assists in the Premier League. pic.twitter.com/rxxh6SfbPa
— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) September 1, 2026
He is already on two in two games, both from the same kind of intelligent attacking box movement that we haven’t seen enough of in previous seasons.
If Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz and Ben White — players he combines with most effectively — can stay fit, there’s no reason why he can’t achieve those sorts of numbers.
But ultimately, that is what is expected of him now. Even without those players available. Because he’s capable of it.
Hopefully he can mark his 25th birthday with a goal against Chelsea on Sunday.
