Arsenal star finished eighth in the Kopa trophy rankings this week, but football legends Ronaldinho, Marco van Basten and Ruud Gullit all think he’s the third-best young player in the world.
The Kopa trophy is like a Ballon d’Or for younger players. France Football presents the award for the best-performing footballer in the world under the age of 21. Saka was in contention to win it this year, but he finished eighth.
Ronaldinho and Marco van Basten think Bukayo Saka is the third-best young player in the world
France Football asked all the previous winners of the Ballon d’Or to name who they think are the top three young players in the world. Spanish outlet Sport has revealed the picks of 19 such icons of the game.
A majority of them went for eventual winner Gavi as their number-one pick, while the likes of Jamal Musiala, Eduardo Camavinga and Jude Bellingham were other popular choices.
Three football icons – Ronaldinho, Van Basten and Gullit – seem to be keeping a close eye on Premier League leaders Arsenal and their star youngster, Saka.
All three previous winners of the Ballon d’Or named the Arsenal 21-year-old third on their list, which means they believe Saka is the third-best young player in the whole world at the moment.
That is an incredible compliment for the Arsenal number seven, and it should give him a lot of confidence going forward.
Our View:
Where Saka ranks among the most exciting young players in the world will spark a few debates, but the Arsenal star is definitely up there.
The 21-year-old has scored five goals and provided four assists in his last nine games in all competitions. Many felt he had a slow start to the season, but his performances recently have been phenomenal.
Arsenal announced yesterday that Gabriel Magalhaes has signed a new contract. Now, Edu and Mikel Arteta have to convince Saka to do the same as they just cannot lose him.
The Gunners take on Southampton tomorrow and Saka is almost guaranteed to start.