Bukayo Saka joins esteemed company to help England achieve best World Cup finish since 1966

Bukayo Saka has joined esteemed company after helping England achieve their best World Cup finish since their 1966 victory.

The Arsenal winger scored a hat-trick in the Three Lions 6-4 third place play-off victory over France, securing the bronze medal in his nations' greatest tournament result since that historic day at the old Wembley Stadium 60 years ago.

Along with aiding in the third-place finish, Saka's treble against Les Bleus also saw him join an elite group of just three other England internationals.

Bukayo Saka nets World Cup hat-trick against France

As Saka completed his hat-trick with an 87th minute penalty to make the score 5-3 in England's favour, he became just the fourth Three Lions player to achieve the feat at a World Cup, joining Geoff Hurst, Gary Lineker and Harry Kane as the only others to do so.

The Gunners star put on his scoring boots as he netted his side's third goal in the 37th minute following some poor defensive work by France to add to the strikes of club teammate Declan Rice and reported Arsenal target Ezri Konsa.

He was then set up by another fellow North Londoner when Eberechi Eze found him with a through ball for the number seven to beat Mike Maignan with a well-taken finish from the edge of the box, making it 4-0 at half-time.

Saka took the pressure off his side when he stepped up to convert a late spot kick won by Djed Spence, completing his hat-trick after England had let their four-goal lead slip for France to bring the game back to 4-3.

That saw him join his three predecessors in an exclusive club of Three Lions hat-trick scorers at a World Cup.

Hurst was the first to manage the feat, scoring the famous treble in the 4-2 victory over West Germany in the 1966 final, being the only player to net three in the final before Kylian Mbappé did so against Argentina in 2022.

Lineker then followed suit with all three goals in a dominant win over Poland in 1986, a year that saw England reach the quarter-finals where they were knocked out by Diego Maradona's two most famous strikes, the Hand of God and the Goal of the Century.

Kane was the latest player to score a hat-trick before Saka, having done in a 6-1 group stage triumph against Panama in 2018, which helped him eventually win the tournament's Golden Boot as the Three Lions finished fourth.

Saka's treble against France was the second he has scored for England, having also netted three times in a 7-0 win against North Macedonia in June 2023 as part of qualifying for EURO 2024 while his wait for a match ball in an Arsenal shirt goes on.

His hat-trick has also seen him become his country's fourth highest goalscorer at a World Cup, leapfrogging Hurst, Bobby Charlton, Michael Owen and Marcus Rashford to now sit behind Kane, Lineker and Jude Bellingham.

Saka has ended the 2026 FIFA World Cup with three goals and three assists after cementing his place in English football history despite his nation falling short at the final hurdle. He played a key part in the Three Lions managing their best finish since their 1966 win, but Gunners fans will be desperate for him to now be given a long rest ahead of pre-season and the beginning of the 2026/27 Premier League on 21 August.

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