Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has named Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets as the best player he has faced in his career so far. That is despite playing against some other top talents such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Mohamed Salah in the past year.
The 20-year-old has seen a meteoric rise in the Gunners ranks, breaking through in 2019 to become a regular first-team starter from the youth team. This season, the England international has made 30 Premier League appearances, scoring nine goals and assisting five.
The youngster has managed to bounce back from a tough summer, where he and his England teammates managed to reach the European Championship final, but missed a decisive penalty to lose the game. Despite that, Mikel Arteta has said that it was a positive experience for Saka to grow from.
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He said, talking to Sky Sports about the forward last month: “I think Bukayo had an experience in the summer that not a lot of players would ever have and I think it was great for his career because the football world showed how much they like him and how much they respect him. I think that was a big boost for him to realise in difficult moments that people are going to give him support, and the club did exactly the same as his team-mates.”
This season has allowed Saka to continue moving from strength to strength, putting the difficulties of the summer behind him and playing with freedom. He has since gone on to discuss his career with GQ Magazine, detailing some of the best bits of his time in the game so far.
He was asked about the toughest opponent that he faced so far and opted for Barcelona’s Sergio Busquets. The 33-year-old has spent 14-years playing for the Blaugrana since coming through the youth ranks, becoming captain of the club.
The Spaniard made 133 appearances for his nation, playing 672 times for Barcelona. In that time he has won 34 major trophies, outlining the legacy that he has left at the Nou Camp.
Discussing his appearance against Busquets, he told GQ : “Sergio Busquets, the way he just so elegantly turned me! [in a pre-season friendly in August 2019] I came at him to press him, I tried to fake this side then go to the other, and the way he just embarrassed me. I was just like, yeah, this guy is elite.”
It outlines just how tough the experience must have been to face him so early into Saka’s career, especially given the players he has faced since. However, he and the rest of the Arsenal side will be hoping they can face more opponents like Busquets with qualification for European competition next season.
