Bukayo Saka joined rare Arsenal company with one special moment

It was a special night for everyone connected to Arsenal, but especially Bukayo Saka. On Wednesday, Mikel Arteta's team battled to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Brighton in Sussex. Simultaneously, Manchester City twice relinquished a lead at home to Nottingham Forest, only managing to draw 2-2. Being in the away end at the Amex when confirmation of the full time score from the Etihad filtered through was an amazing moment that all involved will not forget if the Gunners do indeed become champions.

On the pitch, donning the captain's armband, Saka made his 300th appearance for the club. His senior debut, coming as a teenager during a low-key Europa League group game against Vorskla Poltava, feels a distant memory. Only three men have reached 300 outings for the club at a younger age than the Starboy.

Youngest players to reach 300 appearanes for Arsenal

Player	Date of 300th app	Opponent	Age
David O'Leary	13 March 1982	Ipswich Town	23 years & 315 days
Cesc Fàbregas	10 April 2011	Blackpool	23 years & 341 days
Liam Brady	26 April 1980	West Brom	24 years & 73 days
Bukayo Saka	4 March 2026	Brighton	24 years & 180 days
John Radford	28 August 1971	Stoke City	24 years & 187 days
Cliff Bastin	14 November 1936	Birmingham City	24 years & 245 days
Frank Stapleton	2 May 1981	Aston Villa	24 years & 296 days
Graham Rix	8 January 1983	Bolton Wanderers	25 years & 77 days
Tony Adams	31 March 1992	Nottingham Forest	25 years & 173 days
George Armstrong	31 January 1970	Coventry City	25 years & 175 days

Note: Information courtesy of Harvey Downes.

Only David O'Leary, who is the club's all-time record appearance holder with 722, Cesc Fàbregas and Liam Brady have reached 300 appearances at a younger age for Arsenal. Of the top ten, Fàbregas and Saka are the only men to have done so in the Premier League-era, underlining how rare this is.

So, will Saka become an all-time Arsenal legend? Well, last month, the 24 year old put pen to paper on a new four-year contract at the club he joined at the age of seven, which was great news for all Gooners everywhere. He did pick up an FA Cup winners medal at an eerily empty Wembley in 2020, but was an unused substitute against Chelsea, so is determined to add a whole lot more to his collection.

Saka's statistics at Arsenal speak for themselves, and Arteta's team would not have made the progress they have had it not been for his emergence.

Bukayo Saka's Arsenal career statistics

Competition	Appearances	Goals	Assists
Premier League	221	59	56
Champions League	24	12	8
Europa League	25	5	9
FA Cup	12	1	1
EFL Cup	16	2	2
Community Shield	2	0	2
Total	300	79	78

Right now, only 41 men have made more appearances for Arsenal than Saka, set to overtake the aforementioned Fàbregas and Brady before the end of this campaign.

In terms of output, his record of a goal or an assist every 143 minutes is not bad considering he broke through as an 18 year old at left-back. His tally of 79 goals is only bettered by 26 male players in Arsenal's entire history. He's just one behind Alexis Sánchez, with Robert Pirès, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alan Sunderland and Paul Merson among those who didn't quite reach a century.

In terms of goals, there are just 19 members of Arsenal's 100 club, with Robin van Persie, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott the only three to reach that landmark in the Emirates-era. Well, now 21 away, it surely won't be too long until Saka joins that exclusive club.