Arsenal midfielder Jorginho has said Bukayo Saka can win the Ballon d’Or in the coming years if he can improve one “little” aspect of his game. The Italian midfielder believes the England ace is an incredible player, but he does not show enough hunger around the penalty area.
Saka, 23, has been at Arsenal all his career. Joining from Watford’s youth team in the 2008-09 season, the right-winger progressed through the ranks before officially signing for the first team in July 2019. He has since emerged as one of Arsenal’s most dependable players, regularly popping up with decisive goal contributions.
Over the years, he has played 244 games for the North London club in all competitions, scoring 65 times and providing 61 assists. He has also been a key member of the Three Lions, contributing with 12 goals and seven assists in 43 games.
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Jorginho Thinks Arsenal Ace Saka Can Win Ballon d’Or By Fixing ‘Little Thing’
Like every soccer player worth his salt, Saka must also dream of winning the prestigious Ballon d’Or one day. His Arsenal teammate Jorginho believes he will get there if he starts to attack the box more frequently. Speaking on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Jorginho began by describing Saka as “Unbelievable…world class.”
Next, he said he wanted to see Saka win the prestigious Golden Ball.
“I said to [Saka], ‘I want to see you win the Ballon d’Or’.I believe [he can]. I believe in him… I hope he believes in himself as well,” said Jorginho (via 90min).
Then, he asked Saka to work on one little but important aspect of his game.
The 2020 European Championship winner added:
“For me now, the thing he needs to go more now, it’s his hunger to get in the box when he’s on the weak side. I want to see headers from him, [on] crosses from the left side.
“Easy [he can score more goals]. Easy with that. Let’s see how far he can get. And for me, it’s the little thing that he’s missing because sometimes the ball is on the other side and I can see it’s coming. I was like, ‘Get in there’. And he’s not there.”
Saka has enjoyed a blistering start to the 2024-25 Premier League season. He has played 12 games in the English top flight so far, scoring five goals and providing a chart-topping 10 assists.