
Bukayo Saka knows full well that the curse of being a footballer is that you are only ever moments away from becoming the unwitting villain of the piece. The beauty of being a footballer is that it offers opportunities for redemption. The Arsenal winger was handed that chance against Switzerland, and took it…twice.
The burden that Saka must have carried after the Euro 2020 final must have been scarcely tolerable even without the sickening racist abuse that was sent his (and his teammates’) way. The sleepless nights, the knowledge that your miss had crushed the hopes of a nation…there is no other word for it than ‘unfair’.