During a friendly between arch-rivals Arsenal and Tottenham, Saka got a surprise reception as he returned to action.
Tottenham fans gave Bukayo Saka a standing ovation in a friendly on Sunday as the Arsenal winger came off the bench.
Saka made his first appearance since his penalty miss in England’s shootout defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final. He was later subjected to racist abuse online, along with Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho – who also missed from the spot.
The 19-year-old returned to Arsenal last week for pre-season and found a wall of messages and tributes in his honor left behind by fans before Sunday’s heartwarming turn of events.
Rivalries aside, Spurs fans applauded Saka as he replaced Arsenal teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. It was a moving show of support for the youngster, and one he graciously welcomed.
“So much respect for this, thank you!” Saka wrote on Instagram stories.
Spurs, meanwhile, posted a video of the scene on Instagram with the caption: “Rivalries aside. What a moment this was this afternoon.”
The friendly ended in a 1-0 win for Spurs after Son Heung-min’s late winner at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Arsenal will now prepare for their Premier League opener away to Brentford on Friday. Spurs, on the other hand, will face reigning champions Manchester City two days later on Sunday.
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