- Saka missed a penalty in Euro 2020 final
- Henry supported the forward after the incident
- Regrets not meeting Wenger
WHAT HAPPENED? The England international missed the decisive penalty in the Euro 2020 final, allowing Italy to go on and win it. Saka even had to face racial abuse on social media following that miss but former Arsenal striker Henry reached out to him to lend support. Saka also revealed that he is a huge admirer of legendary Arsenal manager Wenger and regrets that he couldn't meet the Frenchman earlier in his career.
WHAT THEY SAID: "One of my biggest regrets was that I haven’t met Arsene Wenger. I know how much my dad loves him, how much everyone at the club loves him. I know what he has done for the club, of course. We had so many other French players too like Thierry Henry and Robert Pires who have been around the club and helped me," he told reporters.
"Thierry called me [after I missed the penalty in the Euro 2020 final]. He showed a lot of character to get my number and reach out to me. After most Arsenal games, he reaches out to me and he is still passionate about the club. He is an amazing person. They still support me to this day. I am grateful to them. Of course, on the pitch, they were magnificent and won silverware for Arsenal. They are legends."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Saka has been in fine form in the World Cup. He has already scored three times for the Three Lions in Qatar and is gunning for more. The 2021 penalty miss incident is also a thing of the past and the Arsenal forward is ready to step up again and take responsibility from the spot if his country needs him. He is also on penalty duties for the Gunners and scored all three he has taken.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR SAKA? The forward will hope to get on the scoresheet once again when England take on France in the 2022 World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.
