Bukayo Saka, who used to dream of scoring at a World Cup, is now one of England’s biggest threats in the quarter-finals against France

BUKAYO SAKA used to be a regular goalscorer at the World Cup – before he woke up.

Now the 21-year-old England winger is making his mark on the biggest stage, having already scored three goals, and has his sights firmly set on France.

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Here’s a player who will earn his 24th cap against the world champions in the quarter-finals on Saturday and is really living his dream.

He said: “I always allow myself to dream. Since I also saw the tournament as a child, I have many memories.

“I remember South Africa 2010, the famous song (Shakira’s Waka-Waka) – it’s an amazing song.

“Things like that stick in your mind forever and as a kid I would just wake up from a dream and be like, ‘I really want to do this. I want to score a goal at a World Cup.

“Now of course we have to believe that we can win the World Cup. Right now our focus is on the next game, France.

“I think it’s about finding the right balance because of course it’s not just a normal game, it’s a World Cup quarterfinals.

“At the same time, you need to prepare and do the same things you normally do so you don’t overthink it and get too nervous.

“It’s been a great experience so far, achieving what I have and helping my team with the goals scored is a really nice feeling.”

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Saka, who scored the third goal in Sunday’s 3-0 Round of 16 win over Senegal, stressed he would love to take a penalty in a shoot-out – despite missing the crucial shot in the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

He said: “Obviously I’ve evolved and matured as a player and as a person since that moment. I wouldn’t have reinforced the times I’ve played for Arsenal with penalties if I hadn’t been confident.

“So when the moment comes and I’m ready to grab it, I’ll be beyond happy.”

Saka did not train yesterday, instead leaving the substitutes from Sunday’s win against Senegal to warm up.

At his press conference at Al Wakrah Sports Club, Saka was asked by a French journalist if he would be the “Kylian Mbappe of this World Cup”.

Smiling, he said: “First of all thanks for the compliment but no there is only one Kylian Mbappe. And at the same time there is only one I.

“I just want to be myself and help each team as much as I can. There are many young players in this tournament – I can name so many. Our team also has another young player in Jude Bellingham who is doing incredibly well.

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“I’m just glad we’re all doing well. The priority is trying to win the tournament rather than being the player or the young player of it.
“We know the quality of France – we also know our own qualities.

We have to go into the game with confidence and do our best to win the game.”

When asked about his favorite French player, he unsurprisingly chose an Emirates team-mate.

Saka said, “I like William Saliba! They have so many players, I like Ousmane Dembele, I think he’s really good.

“They have so many good players and we have to be prepared for all of them in their own way.”