Lionel Messi won his eighth Balon d’Or on Monday, which was unbelievable. That should motivate a lot of football players to aim for the very top.
According to Mikel Arteta, Bukayo Saka has expressed a desire to win the Balon d’Or too. According to Arsenal.com, he said this of his No. 7: “He (Saka) does think about it. He wants to be the best, and I have discussed it with him. It’s great they have those targets and that mindset.
About Odegaard also making the Balon d’Or, other than Saka, he added, “I’m so glad as well that we had a few nominated in those lists. It’s always good to look at yourself there next to those names and in those lists, so it’s a compliment to them for what they’ve done.”
Notably, Saka came in 24th place in the Ballon d’Or standings.
For years, the 22-year-old has been a standout in Arsenal’s first team. His improvement game after game has earned him the title of not just one of the best Premier League players but also one of the best right wingers Europe has to offer.
He has 25 league goals and 18 assists in the last two seasons, and he already has 4 goals and 3 assists in 9 games this season. His good league stats, however, haven’t meant much because he hasn’t been playing in the Champions League, and England didn’t make it past the quarterfinals of the World Cup in 2022.
That said, with Arsenal in the Champions League and favoured to make it to the knockouts as they strive to win it, and England also set to compete in the Germany Euro 24, with a win being their aim, this could be a year Saka moves closer to clinching the Balon d’Or.
With Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo out of the picture, what can stop Saka, if he has an injury-free run, from proving he’s the real deal?
Daniel O
He has the talent and mindset to be elite. Just needs to help Arsenal and England win something big. These awards tend to go to players from clubs that win the Champions league and/or the World Cup/Continental Cups with their countries.
I think Saka and Odergaard are a million miles off winning the Ballon Dor. Neither have been instrumental in winning a league or CL. I predict next year, the treble winner Haarland will be nailed on.