As 22-year-old Bukayo Saka stepped up to take England’s third penalty against Switzerland in the Euro 2024 quarter-final on Saturday (July 6), the country took a collective intake of breath. There was an unspoken acknowledgment of how significant the moment was — not just for England’s hopes of staying in the tournament — but also for Saka himself.
Three years previously, he, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho were subjected to a torrent of horrific online racial abuse following their missed penalties in the Euro 2020 final which England lost to Italy at Wembley. In the subsequent Premier League season, rival fans chanted at Saka that he had “let your country down”. There was an implicit fear that the same behaviour might be repeated if Saka were to miss again.
