In speech on resilience in young men, former England manager Gareth Southgate has highlighted Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka as a role model because of how he bounced back from a difficult moment
Sir Gareth Southgate has hailed Arsenal star Bukayo Saka as a model of resilience, with the former England manager saying: “I smile as soon as I see his name.”
As a teenager Saka, who is now 24, missed a penalty in the Euro 2020 final against Italy and he was subjected to vile racist abuse on social media. But the forward, who is close to returning to action from three months out with a hamstring injury, has grown in stature since his Wembley heartbreak and scored from the spot against the Netherlands in last summer’s Euros, though England again fell short in the final versus Spain.
And when delivering the Richard Dimbleby speech last night, Southgate named Saka alongside England captain Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins as examples of footballers whose perseverance should be a lesson to young men facing adversity.
“If I’ve learned anything from my life in football, it’s that success is about much more than the final score,” Southgate said. “ It isn’t a straight line. And it’s not a single moment.
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“Take Harry Kane who was released by Arsenal – I wonder if he’s still got the letter – had several unconvincing loan spells, but has gone on to be England’s record goalscorer.
“Everyone will remember Ollie Watkins scoring the winning goal in the semi-final of our Euros against Holland but not so many will remember that he started his career playing non-league football. An overnight success after 20 years.
“And of course Bukayo Saka. I smile as soon as I see his name, who after his experience in Euro 2020, displayed quite remarkable resilience, courage, and belief in stepping up to successfully score his penalty against Switzerland last summer.
“None of them had a perfect, uninterrupted journey to success. Because true success is how you respond in the hardest moments. It’s about having the belief and resilience to persevere. And that’s the message we need to offer young men today.”
The Richard Dimbleby Lecture with Sir Gareth Southgate is available now on BBC iPlayer and on BBC One at 10:40pm on Wednesday 19 March.
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