Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has revealed the influence Cristiano Ronaldo has had on his footballing career. The 22-year-old Gunners winger has delivered his best season in an Arsenal shirt this season since breaking into the first-team squad, scoring 13 goals and notching 11 assists from 36 Premier League appearances.
Under Mikel Arteta, Saka has delivered numerous talismanic displays which has made one of the key stars for Arsenal. In regard to his immediate future, a contract extension looks to have been finalised which will see him remain in north London until 2028.
Despite only still being a young player himself, like Ronaldo appears to have done for Saka, the Arsenal starlet is looked up to by his teammates. On international duty, Manchester City winger Phil Foden made his thoughts surrounding Saka very clear: "Definitely, I learn from him," Foden told Evening Standard. "From him missing that penalty, he’s turned it around with his performances on the pitch for club & country. He’s such a nice lad & everyone loves him. He’s a big part of what we do here."
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For Saka, the tantalizing performances of Ronaldo at Madrid played a key role in his journey to professional football, with the England international revealing what Ronaldo did on the pitch that he now tries to emulate.
"The older I got, the more I fell in love with football," Saka told Arsenal's official website. "I played a lot but watched a lot of football too. I used to love Cristiano Ronaldo. A lot of other kids my age used to love watching him as well. The different things he could do on the pitch, his skills. The way he took free kicks too, I think a lot of us used to try to emulate that."
The duo could have even ended up playing for the same team following a shocking transfer claim made by Piers Morgan about Ronaldo. On Piers Morgan Uncensored, the Arsenal supporter, who has a close relationship with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner, said. "They should have signed Ronaldo when they had the chance, back in October... he wanted to come."
With Ronaldo now at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, the moment for a move to the Gunners looks to have passed, but the club could add another footballing superstar to their ranks should they wish to get some exceptional top-level experience among their young stars. The future of Lionel Messi at Paris Saint-Germain is firmly in the balance with a move back to Barcelona looking the likely outcome of this summer saga.
However, financial issues for the recently-crowned La Liga champions could prevent the move from taking place. Using that knowledge, Arsenal could make a sensational swoop for Messi on a free transfer to significantly bolster their attacking options.
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