Bukayo Saka hails Arsenal rise as he aims to make history for 'club I love' | OneFootball

Gunners favourite reflects on remarkable journey under Mikel Arteta ahead of Champions League final against PSG

The Gunners will face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final on Saturday night and history is there to be made.

Winning the Premier League ended a 22-year wait but now there is a new path waiting to be walked. Arsenal have never before been European champions.

Becoming the first group of players to get their hands on that trophy would be particularly special for Saka, who joined the Arsenal academy as an eight-year-old.

“We all know where my journey started," Saka said on the eve of the final in Budapest. "Eight-year-old at Hale End Road. This was a long way away trying to win the Premier League, trying to win the Champions League with Arsenal.

After celebrating first at the training ground and then at a nightclub in London on the night Arsenal won the league, Saka was one of four players to travel to the Emirates Stadium in the early hours of the following morning.

That followed a night of remarkable scenes outside the stadium as an estimated 100,000 supporters gathered to mark the occasion.

More than five times that number are expected to line the streets on Sunday, when there will be an open-top bus parade regardless of what happens against PSG.

However, Saka is desperate to ensure there is more than one piece of silverware making that journey through north London.

“Personally, I know exactly what it means to the fans," Saka said. "I’ve been here on this journey, loving this club and the ups and the downs. We felt it. When we won the Premier League, we could see how much it meant to the supporters.

“But at the same time, we’re trying to stay focused on this game because we’re so excited, so motivated to do something special and make the parade even more crazy.

We’re so excited, so motivated to do something special and make the parade even more crazy

Bukayo Saka

Saka has been at Arsenal for the entirety of Arteta's reign. Six years ago, it was a club without European football and finishing eighth in the Premier League.

The Gunners are now just one win away from the greatest season in their history. It has been an extraordinary turnaround.

"We were very far away from the level we are now," Saka said, reflecting on the progress since Arteta arrived in December 2019.

"But Mikel made it clear that he wanted to bring Arsenal back to where we believe it belongs. That’s competing at the highest level, fighting for all the trophies and I’m proud I can sit here today and say that we’ve achieved that in winning the Premier League.

“Obviously playing in this final, it’s been a long journey with some disappointments along the way. But it’s been worth it with the feeling to win that Premier League.

"The feeling with Mikel is special. Martin [Odegaard] here as well and all the players who have been on this journey. We've fought for each other and picked each other up at times to enjoy these moments."