4 reasons why Bukayo Saka is the best winger in the world right now

Bukayo Saka is having a tremendous individual season; scoring 12 and assisting ten goals in the Premier League – his best return to date. 

His talent is undeniable and on the back of his recent excellent display for England against Ukraine, there is an argument to be made that he is currently the best winger in world football right now.

There is, of course, plenty of competition, but there are multiple factors that make Saka’s claim to that title incredibly strong.

4 reasons why Bukayo Saka is the best winger in the world right now

1. Incredible consistency

One of Saka’s biggest assets is his ability to perform at a high leveconsistentlyis. Despite only being 21 years of age, his teammates have been able to rely upon him to produce when they need it most for multiple seasons – week in and week out.

Ultimately, it is that consistency that sets him apart from the vast majority of wingers in world football. On a domestic basis, Marcus Rashford is one player who is currently being compared to Saka, but, in my opinion, falls short of the Hale End academy graduate. While it is true that Rashford and Saka’s highs are comparable, their lows certainly aren’t. In short, that is because Saka’s lows are so few and far between.

That is especially true this season and even on a European-wide basis, there are very few, if any, wingers that can match his consistency.

Don’t come at me, Vini Jr lovers.

2. End product

Somewhat new to the Arsenal winger’s game is his ruthlessness in front of goal. Saka has always been blessed in regard to creative talent – regularly registering assists at both club and international levels. However, his finishing and desire to score goals have, at times, been disappointing. But, that is no longer the case.

Speaking after Saka’s stunning performance for England against Ukraine, Gareth Southgate outlined the winger’s transformation into a clinical goalscorer.

"“You are expecting him to score now when he goes through and that is a mentality shift as much as anything technical. He knows to be a really top wide player you need the number of goals and assists.”"

The last two seasons have demonstrated this perfectly. In the 2021/22 campaign, Saka scored a then career-best 11 Premier League goals and has already netted 12 times this season. For such a young winger, those numbers are frightening, especially when you take into account his assist numbers.

He has always had the talent needed to become a truly world-class winger, and he is now backing that talent up with staggering returns in the final third.

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