Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka is unlikely to be over the moon with what Jack Grealish has just revealed to the public.
Saka is enjoying an excellent season for the Gunners, scoring three times thus far as Mikel Arteta’s team sit top of the Premier League table.
Meanwhile, Grealish is also enjoying an exceptional start to the new campaign at Everton, scoring once and providing four assists for his new club.
The two players have played together for England on numerous occasions, and the former Aston Villa star’s latest revelation to do with the Three Lions will not delight the Arsenal talisman.
Jack Grealish has revealed that he wanted to take a penalty for England in the Euro 2020 final
Saka has had a near flawless career thus far, although he did endure one very dark moment.
England reached the final of Euro 2020, played in 2021 because of the pandemic, and were faced with Roberto Mancini’s Italy at Wembley.
The match went to a shootout, and Saka famously stepped up to miss the decisive penalty. This was a hugely damaging moment for the then 19-year-old, which will have haunted him ever since.
Facing a barrage of vile abuse for this spot-kick, he had to withstand years of torment from opposition fans.
However, it could’ve all been so different. Speaking on Everton’s YouTube channel, Grealish revealed that he volunteered to take a penalty in the shootout, but that the playmaker was only placed seventh in the Three Lions’ pecking order.
“You know, when we were in the Euros final in 2021, was it? I wanted to take a penalty then,” the Manchester City loanee explained.
“I asked to take one. But yeah, I think I was like seventh, I think, maybe. But yeah, I wanted to take one, but unfortunately I didn’t.”
Southgate was criticised in the aftermath of the final for selecting a teenager to take the fifth penalty in a game of such magnitude.
This decision is made significantly worse by Grealish’s admission. The former England boss had the opportunity to pass the responsibility to a senior player with more experience of moments like that, but opted not to.
Bukayo Saka’s penalty record since the Euro final miss has been excellent
Not only did this miss traumatise the youngster for many years, it also elicited some frustrating narratives around his penalty-taking ability.
Every time Saka steps up to shoot from 12 yards, the commentator will remind everyone that he missed on that infamous night in north-west London.
They’ll use this one miss as a reason to doubt him, despite his penalty record actually being almost immaculate since then.
Saka has scored 13 of his 15 senior career penalties, not including shootouts (via TransferMarkt). This includes crucial strikes against the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham in high pressure moments.
His only two misses have come against West Ham in a crucial league game back in the 2022/23 season, and his failed panenka effort against Real Madrid last season.
This return means he has an 86% conversion rate from the spot, which is higher than the general average in professional football of 80%.
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