Former Arsenal star comes out in support of Bukayo Saka
Mesut Özil recently joined the list of players who have come out in support of Bukayo Saka. The young Arsenal winger is one of the three English players who were subjugated to racist remarks after failing to convert their penalties in the final of Euro 2020.
Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were the three English players who failed to convert their penalties, courtesy of an inspired Gianluigi Donnarumma in the Euro 2020 final.
After a disappointing conclusion to England's campaign, some enraged English fans rallied on social media to abuse the said players with racist remarks. The situation spiraled further when murals of the said players were vandalized.
The players felt downhearted by the fans' unacceptable behavior. Many prominent figures have come forward to speak in support of the players and condemn the irrationality of social media's racial abuse.
Özil's support for Bukayo Saka
The former Arsenal star specifically mentioned his former teammate while talking to Sky Sports. He emphasized the bold character that Bukayo Saka displayed throughout the continental tournament for The Three Lions was amazing.
"I felt very much for Bukayo, I know from my own experience how it feels to miss a penalty. In a final, as the last one, to take on the responsibility of an entire nation as a young player - respect. Not many players would dare to do that."- said Mesut Özil on H/T Sky Sports News.
Özil, who now plays for Turkish side Fenerbahçe, said Bukayo Saka's decision to step up to take the final penalty was extremely brave. He also urged the youngster to stay strong in the face of discrimination.
The former Arsenal playmaker knows the burdened pain of letting everyone down by missing a decisive penalty in a crucial game. Similar to Bukayo Saka, Özil also failed to convert a penalty of his own back in 2014. It resulted in the Gunners crashing out of the Champions League against Bayern Munich.
Mesut Özil represented Germany between 2009 and 2018 and then retired from international football over racist abuses. At the time, he tweeted:
"I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose."
This is a message which is prevalent today for the young English trio.
“There will always be people who racially abuse and scapegoat people of different backgrounds and skin color when they lose. Unfortunately, there will always be a small part of our community that racially insults and threatens players. We should focus much more on the positive messages that keep players strong.”- Özil added.
The general public has gotten behind the three young lions and ushered them with enormous support while addressing and condemning the disgraceful abuses. Bukayo Saka himself has promised to return stronger when he opened up about the issue to the public for the first time.