As 22-year-old Bukayo Saka stepped up to take England's third penalty against Switzerland in the Euro quarter-final on Saturday, the country took a collective intake of breath. There was an unspoken acknowledgment of how significant the moment was - not just for England's hopes of staying in the tournament - but also for Saka himself.
Three years previously, he, along with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, were subjected to a torrent of horrific online racial abuse following their missed penalties in the Euro final, when England lost to Italy at Wembley. In the Premier League season that followed, rival fans chanted at Saka that he had "let your country down". There was an implicit fear that, if Saka were to miss again, the same behaviour might repeat itself.
But, despite the weight of this bearing down on him, and having every reason to hesitate when he was asked by Southgate to step up to the plate against Switzerland, Saka showed no sign of nerves. Like England's four other successful penalties in the match (all taken by players with black heritage), Saka's goal was effortlessly cool, putting to bed his critics and ending the collective trauma of England's penalty nightmares.
"You fail once, but I'm the sort of guy who wants to put myself in that position again," Saka said in a post-match interview on the weekend. "It is something I embrace...I kept my cool and scored my penalty.
"I wasn't focusing on the past - that's done," he continued. "I can only focus on now. Of course, I know there's a lot of nervous people watching, my family included in the crowd, but I kept my cool and scored."
The outpouring of affection for England's starboy was immediate and intense. Fans instantly took to social media to praise his determination. One supporter wrote: "A moment of redemption. A moment of courage. A moment of ecstasy. Bukayo Saka is HIM." Another said: "Bukayo Saka man. Equaliser and penalty converted. Nerves of steel after what happened in 2021, that man is deserving of it all."
Saka's former teammate Jadon Sancho was also quick to post a message on social media, saying: "I'm so proud of this guy! You did it for me and Marcus, brother!"
And England legend David Beckham offered his support, posting a photo of Saka on his Instagram feed, with the caption: "That's the smile we all needed to see... Courage and happiness @bukayosaka87, well done to the lads @england."
The praise was also helped by the fact that Saka had earlier scored England's only goal in the match, equalising with a stunning curling strike in the 80th minute, keeping the Three Lions's Euro hopes alive, and going on to win player of the match.
Saka's rise to the beating heart of the England squad has been stratospheric. He has been in the England set-up for more than six years, and at 22 has already scored more goals than anyone else in Gareth Southgate's squad with the exception of captain Harry Kane.
His footballing prowess is undeniable. But more than this, it has been Saka's irresistible charm off the pitch that has captured the nation's heart. Nicknamed "starboy", he is possibly the most popular member of the England squad since the 90s, known for his impeccable manners, his intellect - he was a straight-A student at school - and his infectious smile.
"He's just that perfect boy which you wish will either be your son or your brother who's just been brought up the right way," Arsenal and England player Aaron Ramsdale said of his teammate.
From his humble beginnings in Greenford, west London, to his girlfriend christened "WAG of the year", here is the story of how the nation fell in love with Bukayo Saka.
'A role model student' - straight As and a sporting prodigy
Like many of his England teammates, Saka's extraordinarily speedy rise to success was aided by the fact he started playing the game at an early age - in this case, age three.
"Football? It's been in my life since I was a kid," he said in an interview with Football France last year. "As soon as I realised this game existed, I loved it. And I still love it."
Growing up in Greenford, in the borough of Ealing, west London, he lived in a small two-storey semi-detached home with his parents, who migrated from Nigeria in the 1990s, and his older brother. After school, he would kick a ball as a young boy on the communal green near his house.
"In front of my house, there was a closed neighbourhood, something that formed a circle with the other dwellings," he said. "In the middle, there was just a green field. Not really a football field, but we transformed it like that.
"Everyone came to play there. After school, we met there, the children of the neighbourhood, to play until our parents called us to have dinner and go to the shower. Then to bed. The next day, school... And we did it again."
Saka attended Edward Betham Church of England Primary School and then Greenford High School, where, alongside excelling at football, he was also a talented tennis player and long jumper. He retains the school's long jump record of 5.28 metres - achieved when he was in year eight - which no pupil has yet beaten.
Aged seven, Saka 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 was a role model student... very friendly and approachable," Mark Harvey, Saka's former PE teacher at Greenford High School said in an interview with the Standard.
Harvey told the Times that, in his five years at school, Saka missed handing in his homework only once. "For someone who was away as much as he was with his football commitments, that's amazing."
Many believe that this intellect has also helped Saka on the pitch. "He would always see a level or two above what was happening," Harvey told the Times. "He had a really clear vision of what he wanted to do. He also had an incredible work ethic - and never shied away from constructive criticism."
After Saka was selected for England's match against the Czech Republic during Euro 2020, the school's PE department tweeted: "Bukayo Saka at Greenford High School: always ready to learn, so respectful towards staff and peers, wonderful family and top grades. Such a proud night!"
Despite having achieved astronomical success, he still keeps in close contact with the school. A signed Arsenal shirt which he donated hangs pride of place on the school's "achievement wall", and a letter he sent to thank former teachers has also been framed.
'It's a massive testament to his mum and dad' - the influence of his parents
When asked about the inspirations behind his success, Saka is often quick to credit his parents, Yomi and Adenike.
Perhaps the first thing that the couple, who are from the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria, did for their son was to name him with intention. Not only does Bukayo translate to "adds to joy" from Yoruba, but his middle names Ayoyinka and Temidayo also respectively mean "joy surrounds me" and "my joyful story."
Adenike, Saka's mother, is an accountant who studied in Lagos. After moving to London, she subsequently completed a diploma in accounting at the University of West London, and has worked as project accountant at O2, according to the Times.
Saka in action playing for the Arsenal under-15 squad
Arsenal.com
It was his parents' work ethic that is often credited for Saka's academic success.
"My mum really pushed me academically," Saka has said. "I always wanted to make my mum happy, she means a lot to me. Doing well academically meant a lot to me as well."
"They kept him grounded when he was growing up," Harvey told the Times. "His dad would make him do his homework in the car as they were travelling up and down the country to games."
His family were also well known in Greenford for being friendly and generous - helping people move house as well as sending footballs, games consoles and money to help hard-up people in the area.
"They are a lovely family, Yomi in particular," Eileen Nolder, one of the family's neighbours told the MailOnline in 2021. "He was fantastic and the boys were lovely. There were a couple of times when an ambulance was called for me. Yoni noticed and came straight over to help. Anything you needed carrying or doing, he would come and do it. She added: 'Yomi was convinced his son was going to be a star and they moved to be closer to Arsenal. I was very sad when the family left."
"Anything I put my mind to, [my parents] pushed me 100 per cent to give it my all, and to make sure I'm the best I can be," he said in an interview with Time magazine.
Saka has often credited his father Yomi, a businessman, as being one of his biggest inspirations. "From when I was young, he always kept me grounded, kept me humble," he said in a 2019 interview.
"My dad was there for me a lot," Saka told TalkSport. "I spent millions of hours with him in cars doing journeys.
"I was really close to him growing up, he was there to watch every single game, never missed one no matter what... Every game he would go to, be there, advise me, support me and keep me grounded.
Devout Christians, Saka's parents passed on their religion to their son. He has said that he reads the Bible every night, and describes himself in his Instagram bio as "God's child".
"For me, it's really important to obviously have the presence of God in me all the time, and it gives me more confidence that God's plan is perfect so I can go on the pitch and know that God has my back," Saka said in an interview during last year's World Cup. "The main thing for me is just keeping my faith, just having faith in God so I don't need to be worried or nervous about any outcomes."
The "little chilli" - making waves at Arsenal
It was Saka's uncle who first encouraged him to join a local football team. "I remember my uncle came to my house around the age of six and he said 'oh, you're playing football a lot. You should try and go to a local team'," he told englandfootball.com.
"So we researched our local team, which was Greenford Celtic, and we went there. When the coach Colin said the team was full, I was quite gutted, but he said he'll let me train and after seeing me, he said 'I think you're good enough to get into this team so I'll make space for you'. Colin put me straight into the team and I went from there."
Saka with head coach Mikel Arteta after signing a new long-term contract with Arsenal
After being scouted by Arsenal aged seven, Saka joined the club's Hale End academy after a stint at Watford's youth teams.
"Even as a very young boy, and I remember him as an under-11, we had a pathway to look after him," the then-head of youth development at Hale End told arsenal.com. "We had coaches and staff who did a great job of recruiting these boys originally and then looking after them.
"I remember him at that age. He was always very fast, but muscular with it, powerful, and as he got older he quickly added the football intelligence that you need at the top level.
At 17 years old, he was contracted to the club's senior squad, and his career later exploded following the appointment of Mikel Arteta to the club's helm in December 2019. In his breakthrough 2019/20 season, Saka starred in all four first-team competitions, winning his first Arsenal Player of the Month award in February 2020 - even earning the team nickname "little chilli" on account of the way he spices up attacks.
Euro 2020 and racist abuse
While at Arsenal, Saka also began his international career, representing England at under-16, under-17, under-18, under-19 and under-21 level.
But it was in the summer of 2021 that Saka's life would change forever - both for better and for worse - when he was selected by Gareth Southgate for the the 26-man Uefa Euro 2020 squad. The tournament started well both for England and for Saka - in the third group stage match on against the Czech Republic, he was named the man of the match.
And then we all know what happened next.
In the tournament final against Italy on July 11 at Wembley, England dominated early, with Luke Shaw scoring with a low shot on the half volley after less than two minutes. However, Italy began to dominate posesssion from the 15-minute mark, and finally managed to equalise at 66 minutes. By the time the final extra time whistle blew at 1-1, Saka had been brought on as a substitute for Kieran Trippier, and was chosen to take the team's fifth penalty - his first penalty kick at senior level. He was just 19 years old.
The attempt was saved by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, and, since his teammates Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho had also missed their penalties, Italy took home the trophy.
Saka has said that he "knew instantly" that a torrent of racist abuse would be directed at the three black players. "My reaction post-match said it all - I was hurting so much and I felt like I'd let you all and my England family down," he said in a statement posted on X/Twitter at the time. "For those who have campaigned on my behalf and sent me heartfelt letters, wished me and my family well, I am so thankful.
"To the social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: I don't want any child or adult to receive the hateful and hurtful messages that me, Marcus and Jadon have received. I knew instantly the kind of hate I was about to receive and that is a sad reality that your powerful platforms are not doing enough to stop these messages.
"There is no place for racism or hate of any kind in football or any area of society and to the majority of people coming together to call out the people sending these messages, by taking action and reporting these to the police and driving out the hate by being kind to one another, we will win."
It was a difficult time for the players and the country, but there were some glimmers of light. The month following the Euros, when Saka left his seat to join an Arsenal match against Spurs at White Hart Lane, he was greeted by a standing ovation, in an unprecedented show of appreciation for an Arsenal player in more than a century of the clubs' bitter rivalry. "The fact that Tottenham's fans are willing to do that for me shows that some things are bigger than football," Saka said afterwards.
As is normal for Saka, he took what was objectively a low period as an opportunity to give back. He is now friends with Teddy, a young boy from the Isle of Wight who was just eight when he wrote a heartfelt note to Saka after the racism he suffered. "I hope you are not sad any more," Teddy wrote to his hero. "If you was here with me I would buy you an ice cream from the ice cream van with my pocket money and then we would play football in the park and I would let you win."
After the racist abuse he faced, nine-year-old student Myla Clarke-Wiliams suggested a mural was painted at Saka's old primary school in Ealing in tribute to the England star
Around Ealing
Teddy put his pocket money into the envelope which he then posted to Arsenal. His family did not expect a reply but Saka wrote to Teddy, and the pair swapped video messages. "I keep in touch with him," Saka told the Guardian. "He sent me a lot of videos and they're always so nice to watch. He's come to two games and he's coming this weekend. So I'll see him again."
Another positive response came from a student at Saka's old primary school. After being impressed with how he handled the social media abuse hurled at him, nine-year old Myla Clarke-Williams suggested a mural was painted of the former student in the playground at Edward Bentham Primary School.
His relationship with Tolami Benson, the 'WAG of the year'
Another, less public element of Saka's life is his relationship with 23-year-old Tolami Benson. While little is known about the pair's relationship, Benson was crowned WAG of the year at the 2024 Euros after a photo of her in the stands went viral on Instagram.
Wearing a custom leather biker jacket by Antonia Bronze that nodded to her boyfriend's first Arsenal shirt number (an enormous "87" adorning the back) over a Diesel top, Benson simply captioned the photo with the "infinity" emoji. Such was the impact of the snap, that it even prompted a write-up in Vogue.
Hailing from Hertfordshire, Benson reportedly works full-time in account management after graduating from Birmingham City University with a public relations degree. The pair have reportedly been dating since late 2020, but have been intensely private about their relationship. Neither has spoken publicly about one another and they don't even follow each other on Instagram.
Benson has in the past posted Instagram stories of her remote-working while accompanying her boyfriend on the international football tour. After Saka took home the player of the match trophy over the weekend, Benson shared her pride on social media. posting a picture of herself on Instagram clutching her boyfriend's trophy with the caption: "My baby's baby".
Ahead of England's semi-final on Wednesday, let's hope she can be Saka's, and England's, lucky charm.