NewStats: 3,261,971 , 8,175,727 topics. Date: Saturday, 31 May 2025 at 10:48 AM 4h2h2

England international Bukayo Saka has teamed up with a charity to fund 120 life-changing operations for children in the city of Kano, in northern Nigeria.

The 21-year-old Arsenal winger, born in London to Nigerian parents, says he wants to have a positive impact in a country which he feels "very connected to".

"I feel blessed to be in a position where I can contribute to making the children's lives easier and better through these surgeries," said Saka, who is with the Three Lions squad in Qatar ahead of the World Cup finals.

"For me, it is very important to use my abilities to have a positive impact where I can. I want to do more and more and help as many children as I can."

The operations took place in mid-October, helping children with a range of health issues including inguinal hernias, umbilical hernias and brain tumours.

Saka teamed up with BigShoe, a charity which has helped more than 1,750 children around the world in need of life-changing medical surgeries since it was founded in 2006, for the initiative.

"I have to say a big thank you to the whole BigShoe team for making this possible," Saka added in a video posted on Twitter.

"For me it is important that every child has the same opportunity to achieve their dreams.

"If I can do anything to help then I really want to do this, it was very important to me. It makes me happy when I can see the kids happy and their parents happy."

Saka was a key member of the England side which reached the final of the European Championship last year, but missed a penalty in the shoot-out defeat by Italy.

He is expected to add to his 20 caps as Gareth Southgate's squad face Iran, the United States and Wales at the World Cup in Qatar, with their Group B opener against the Iranians on Monday (13:00 GMT).

Officials from the Nigeria Football Federation had made a futile attempt to get Saka to commit the West African nation in 2019, but he opted to represent England and made his senior debut in October 2020.

The Arsenal youngster follows in the footsteps of former Nigeria international Jonathan Akpoborie, who brought doctors from Belgian non-governmental organisation reVIVE to Ozoro in Delta State last month, to help patients who could not afford treatment.

The former Stuttgart, Wolfsburg and Hansa Rostock forward hopes the doctors can return in future, following the end of their mission in late October.

"The plan is to hopefully bring the doctors back again, maybe to Lagos where I grew up or where I see there is a real desperate need for help." he told BBC Sport Africa.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/africa/63677733

Nice one

Good one... For this gesture, you're lifting epl this season!

He didn't even post it on social media

Unlike some Nigerian broke ass influenzas
Will give somebody 5k and record it and post it on SM

Saka is terribly underrated... Nice gesture from an amazing footballer

I'm glad he re his roots

Unfortunately na people wey dey do nonsense for instagram and bbn nigerians dey treasure

Nice one Saka, you have a good heart.

Nice one Bukayo

.

Good one Saka.
If only our so called leaders, aka Polithiefcians can have this kind of heart.

Quietly, No Noise

Feels good to be connected to your origin

Good one from Bukayo

There is something about the boy that reeks of humbleness, empathy and comion.

You just can't hate him.

reccy:
Good one... For this gesture, you're lifting epl this season!

I concur

Good

Bukayo is a good boy hiya hiya oh
Daddy knows mummy knows, everybody knows.

I don't like Arsenal but Bukayo Saka is my favorite player in the EPL at the moment.

Siberia01:


He didn't even post it on social media

Unlike some Nigerian broke ass influenzas
Will give somebody 5k and record it and post it on SM

is this place TVC?

Nice

Nice one

Round of applause.

The guy na baller

what a great kind gesture from the young lad

may arrows of injuries never see you..

Arsenal is London

God bless the Yorubas faithful

He is a gunner did not surprise me.


We are loving. As Paul put it love suffers long and its kind. We suffer long so its easy for us to relate hence be kind to those going through it.

God bless you Saka. God bless you plenty much much.

Blessings bro

This is great gesture, other successful persons should learn from this

Anijay1212:


I concur

a chelsea fan but for dis act I concur too

God bless real Yorubas
thunder scatter Tinubu urchins

Good one Saka, especially as it isn't for the camera

Nicey

Saka is the greatest England young player right now. I'm not surprise at all, because he has yoruba blood running in his vein.

Same can't be said about those people all they know is how to traffick narcotics to Asia countries.

I heard Yemen and afganistan is more peaceful than their region currently. What a shame!