Saka with his old PE teacher, Mark Harvey, on his right
(Picture: Handout)Bukayo Saka’s former PE teacher has revealed England’s two-goal World Cup hero still calls him “Sir” as he tipped the young winger to fire the Three Lions to glory in Qatar.
Mark Harvey taught the 21-year-old Arsenal player as a schoolboy at Greenford High School in Ealing, and says he is his former pupil’s “biggest fan”.
He has kept in touch with the “role model” student and sent a message when he, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho suffered racist abuse after the Euro 2020 final.
Mr Harvey, now an assistant head at the west London secondary, told the Standard: “I told him to try not to let it bother him. He sent a nice message back saying, ‘Thanks Sir for still thinking about me’.”
Saka was man of the match in yesterday’s opening fixture, scoring the third and fourth goals as England thrashed Iran 6-2. After the match, Saka celebrated victory with his family and girlfriend Tolami Benson, 22, sitting in the stands at the Doha stadium.
Speaking after the game, Saka said the win was “amazing”, describing it as a “special day” for him and his teammates.
“I feel like I’m in a good place, got support from the fans, I feel the love from them, the coaches, my teammates,” he told BBC MOTD Live, as England now look forward to their second group match against USA on Friday evening.
Mr Harvey, 42, told the Standard how Saka excelled academically at school after his Nigerian father Yomi, a Newcastle supporter, and mother Adenike raised him with the sense that education comes first and football second.
Aged eight, he was scouted and signed by Arsenal, but despite the demands of academy football he left school with four A*s and three As in his GCSEs.
He has already emulated Gunners legends like Thierry Henry and Ian Wright by being named player of the season in two consecutive years, has 21 caps for England and won the England men’s player of the year award in September.
Proud Mr Harvey has to show students at the school pictures of the star because they “refuse to believe” he was in the same classrooms or sports field.
“He was a role model student... very friendly and approachable. He had a tight-knit group of friends who he still speaks to,” Mr Harvey added. He said Saka is ”a young man with the world at his feet.... I’m Bukayo’s biggest fan, so I think he’ll do brilliantly.
“I don’t think there are many footballers his age in the world playing to his standard. He’s miles above everyone else.”
